If At First You Don't Succeed
by Ada C. Eliana
Summary: The New Teen Titans have formed under the mentorship of Star, Cy, and BB. However, when Slade comes back with his eye on Tim Drake, it's up to Dick Grayson to help prevent history from repeating itself.
1. Disbanded and Separated

**A/N:** Now that it's summer, I have much more time to spend writing, so I thought I would expand my horizons with a new writing endeavor. This story is a bit of a mesh of stories by various authors and of course, the Teen Titans cartoon we all watch. What I've done is fast forward from "Teen Titans" into the future. This picks up following the "Young Justice/Titans" comics storyline by Judd Winick, where both groups are disbanded. Because of that, the new Teen Titans are formed. Now - don't hit that 'back' button yet. It is not about new people - well not centered around them. The main players will be Nightwing (who is Robin - obviously), Robin (Tim Drake), and of course, everyone's favorite villain - Slade.

In this storyline, Nightwing is heading up The Outsiders, and Robin is in the new Teen Titans (which is led by Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg). However, I am not using the comics backstory, I'm using the "Teen Titans" cartoon for that, and you'll see that when you read it. Oh, and for ages - I'm not really sure how old everyone is, probably well into their twenties.

It's not as confusing as it sounds... I think. Anyway, give this chapter a shot and see what you think! Oh, and if you've read the new Teen Titans, I'm totally screwing over their storyline, so don't worry about it.

Disclaimer: Ye Gods, do I look like someone old enough to own DC comics? Do I? Um... no. However, this awkward storyline is of my own design!

* * *

**If At First You Don't Succeed…**

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter One: Disbanded and Separated**

* * *

The Titans were finished. Nightwing had announced that, and his words were their end. There was no going back. Donna Troy – the first Wonder Girl, Troia – was dead. Killed by a crazed Superman android. Nightwing had watched her eyes shoot open as an eye laser pierced her chest. He saw her fall over lifelessly, fist still raised in battle. The Superman android was destroyed by the blue android that started the whole mess, but Nightwing did not pay it any attention. He raced to her side, unbelieving. She could not be dead. But yet she was. He looked around, finding himself alone. Then, two figures appeared. Arsenal and Robin stared back at Dick and what was once Donna, their eyes open in shock. They raced to his side. Arsenal kneeled before Donna, gently closing the pained eyes. 

Donna Troy – Friend – Princess – Warrior.

And the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

In that instant two teams broke apart, and so many people were crushed. Young Justice and the Titans both met their ends.

No one wanted to lose anyone else that they loved.

And no one knew what to do.

Time passed, an endless wheel that even sorrow and torment fails to stop. Dick Grayson holed himself up alone, refusing to speak to anyone, including Roy, who saw everything breaking down.

Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy saw the once members of Young Justice broken and alone, and decided to fill their needs. Reopening the old Titan's Tower, they invited the young heroes to join them. To learn about their powers, fighting, and about themselves, where they could be safe under the tutelage of three experienced crime fighters. Wonder Girl, Superboy, Impulse, and Robin gratefully accepted the opportunity.

Meanwhile, Roy Harper (Arsenal / former Speedy)found another solution to revitalize his close friend. Bringing together a motley team, consisting of Jade, Thunder, Grace, Shift, and Indigo, he created a new type of crime fighting group. He created a **team**, not a **family**. No one there had to be friends. No one had to care about anyone else. They all worked together, nothing more. And that was the only reason that Nightwing agreed to lead them. His heart could not take the loss of anyone else he was loved, so now he sent a team of mere acquaintances out to battle.

If only life could work out that way. As if anyone could choose a path that never hurt. As if life never destroyed those who you loved. Nightwing's life certainly was not turning out that way.

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Home of the New Teen Titans**

Only three people gasped when the masked face appeared on the monitors. Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy looked up abruptly, their expressions betraying their anger. Superboy, Robin, Wonder Girl, and Impulse stared up at the three, surprised in the reactions of their mentors. This could not be good.

"What do you want _Slade_?" Starfire demanded.

"Just to say hello to the new Teen Titans," Slade said, his voice containing a hint of excitement. "I was a bit disheartened when I discovered that _Nightwing_ would not be present in this new little team. I do so miss our banter." Robin turned his head so fast to look at the screen that he may have gotten whiplash. This guy knew Nightwing?

"What are you up to Slade?" Cyborg asked suspiciously.

Slade ignored his comment as he caught sight of someone interesting. "Ah, a new _Robin_. I wonder though, how does he compare to the original?"

Slade was creeping Robin out. The one eye looked at Robin like he was some item in a store that Slade wanted to own. The mentors noticed this, and Starfire's eyes flashed green with anger.

"Shut it Slade," Beast Boy said, stepping in front of Robin. "If you're done with your little hello, then leave us alone, we don't need to waste our time with you."

"But you haven't even introduced me yet? Forgetting your manners _Beast Boy_?"

"As if I need to be courteous to you," he scowled.

"What is it that you want?" Starfire demanded.

"I'm in the market for…" he paused, his eyes revealing the smile that was hidden behind the mask. "Wait, I think I'll hold on to my cards for a while." However, the mentors of the teens knew that Slade's little slip was intentional; he had planned the whole conversation out.

"You won't be able to pull off anything you're planning on tryin'," Cyborg warned.

"Funny to hear that from you," Slade responded. "As if any of you ever posed a threat to me."

"That's a strange thing for you to say, considering the fact that we've defeated you a number of times," Beast Boy growled.

"Yes, but that was all thanks to one member of your team, and, like I said, I do not see him here. Robin was the only Teen Titan who ever stood a chance against me. Oh, and maybe Raven too, but she's gone if my sources are correct. Very gone," Slade laughed.

"Shut up!" Beast Boy shouted. "We're not wasting our time on you anymore!"

Oh, I think we'll be sharing much time together." Slade looked at Robin again. "Goodbye… for now."

The screen went dead.

"Who was that?" Superboy asked.

"Slade Wilson – Deathstroke," Beast Boy responded. They teens all looked up quizzically. Who was that?

Starfire had stepped over to the console before the monitor, and was typing something in.

"What are you doing?" Cyborg asked.

Before she could respond however, the screen flickered to life, revealing the hideout of the Outsiders. Nightwing stood in the middle, looking surprised to be contacted by Starfire. The android Indigo and density-changing fighter Thunder stood just behind him. "Nightwing," Starfire began without preamble. "We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" he asked.

"Slade is back."

"What!" Nightwing demanded. "Do you have any idea what he wants?"

Starfire looked behind her nervously, motioning for the Teen Titans to leave the room. They were angry, but complied all the same. Robin took one last look back at Nightwing before exiting the room.

"Okay, now that you three are alone will you tell me what he wants?" Nightwing asked impatiently.

"He hinted that he may be after… an apprentice," Starfire said hesitantly.

Nightwing's face fell. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty much," Beast Boy said. "He said that he was in the market for… and then just let the sentence drop. And he made some remarks about spending time with us."

"And he kept looking over at…" Cyborg began. He paused however, as if he was not sure if he really wanted to divulge this to Nightwing.

"Don't tell me… Tim?" Nightwing filled in the silence. The three nodded. Nightwing smashed his fist onto the console to let out his anger. "That bastard." Now Grace and Shift had also turned their attention to the monitors.

"Don't worry though, we'll be able to handle it. I just thought you might like to know," Starfire assured.

"Yeah, thanks Kory. Keep me in the loop about everything okay?"

"Of course."

"And one more thing… Look after Tim, alright? We both know what Slade's capable of." Kory nodded knowingly.

"I will."

* * *

**Headquarters of The Outsiders – Brooklyn**

The screen went dead, and Nightwing slammed his fist again. "Whoa, what's got you so riled up?" Arsenal called as he walked into the headquarters.

"Slade's back," Nightwing responded.

"In New York?" Arsenal asked, taken aback.

"No, in San Francisco. Starfire just told me."

"Well, the Titans are definitely going to have their work cut out for them," Arsenal sighed.

"Yeah. I'll be back later," Nightwing said as he walked up the stairs and out of the room.

* * *

**Dick Grayson's Apartment**

Dick Grayson returned to his apartment alone. As he entered, he kept the lights off, knowing how to get around in the dark. He sat down at his desk, and pulled a laptop out of a locked drawer. As he fired it up, he pulled a small disk out of his pocket. He inserted the disk in the back of the laptop. He opened a large file manager, and lowered his cursor over the section labeled "Teen Titans." From the drop-down menu he selected the first name, "Slade."

He looked carefully through his Slade files, not quite sure if he was looking for something, or if he just wanted to refresh his memory. He had not thought about Slade for years. After the end of the Teen Titans, he had pushed Slade from his mind. Eventually the nightmares had gone away, the memories had faded, and Slade had slipped into the recesses of his mind. Even when he created the Titans, Slade had not resurfaced, nothing had happened. Slade ceased to be important. But now…

He should have been looking for him. What was the purpose of The Outsiders if he was not looking for the worst criminals there were? Why was he leading a team of hunters if not to catch those who posed the greatest threat? He was running around taking out oversized talking gorillas when Slade was scheming. And he was after the same thing as before – an apprentice. Dick knew only too well how far Slade would go to secure what he wanted. And that meant Tim was in danger.

Dick was uncomfortable, he did not know what he should do, if anything. He suddenly did not like the way he left things with Tim. He put his hands in his head, remembering their last conversation.

_They were traveling above the streets of Gotham, tossing out their jumpcords and grappling hooks, darting from building to building. Dick sometimes wondered how funny it seemed that they could hold a conversation while doing this, yet they could. The rain was pounding down on their bodies, but neither slowed down. Nightwing stayed in front, his back to Robin. It had been six weeks since Lilith and Donna Troy's untimely deaths, and both were still feeling the effects. Robin started a conversation, one that Nightwing did not pay much attention to. The pair landed on the roof of a building, standing just behind the gargoyle on the corner. _

"_What happened to us out there, we've been **ambushed** before. But we lost focus. We fell **apart**. And the **worst** thing of it all…" Robin said sadly, eyes pleading for Nightwing to say something, to make him feel something other than horrible. "-It's like every single one of us has seen people die. We've lost people we love. Everyone on the team. We swore we would work together to make sure it would **never** happen again." Robin held his hand out in front of him, grasping for the reasons why any of this had to happen. "We thought going through all that made us **stronger**. But it didn't. It… when we saw **Lilith**." Robin paused, unable to go on. _

_Nightwing did not say anything. Robin turned to him hopelessly, staring at Nightwing's muscular shoulders, wanting desperately for him to turn around, to say something… anything. "I know what you're feeling. I know what you're telling yourself. The same thing I am. 'It's** my** fault." Silence met his words. _

_The two stood together uncomfortably, the rain beating down endlessly. Robin approached Nightwing's back. "What do we do now, Dick?" Robin asked, his voice pleading._

_Nightwing finally responded. "I don't know," he said stoically, raising his grappling gun. Robin looked up, startled. He shot off the grappling hook and then turned to face Robin. "But whatever it is…" He leapt off the building by the jump cord as Robin walked toward the ledge, staring after him. "I think we better do it alone," Nightwing called back to Robin._

Dick pulled his hand through his thick hair. God, what was he supposed to do? Some of the last words Donna spoke to him echoed in his head. It was when they were in the hospital, listening in on Robin and Superboy's conversation. Robin was berating himself for his team's ill actions in the fight against the android from the future.

_"That was **dumb**," Robin had said, standing in the dark hallway with Superboy._

_"I know. I heard you the **first** three times," Superboy responded, annoyed._

_"**Crazy** dumb. Crazy **stupid** sticking fingers into **light sockets** kind of dumb," Robin continued._

_"I'm **clear** on the 'dumb' part," Superboy said, hoping to stop Tim from continuing his rant._

_"If you **were** clear on it then you **wouldn't** have jumped the homicidal android," Robin spat._

_"**Hey**, I wasn't the **first**," Superboy defended._

_"No, that was **Impulse** and **Empress** and they managed to **nearly** get themselves **killed**, too."_

_"The Titans got their lumps."_

_"No, the Titans got **our** lumps. They were looking after us." Robin bit his lip in frustration. "There we were, shoulder to shoulder with the very **inspiration **for **Young Justice. The Titans.** And we lose **half** our team, and half of **theirs**," Robin said._

_"Tim, I bet they were a **lot** like us when they started."_

_"**No**. I don't **think** so."_

_The two leading members of the Titans – Nightwing and Troia – had their heads stuck out into the hallway, watching the pair of Young Justice members. "He's being **awfully** hard on himself. Kind of **reminds** me of someone," she chided._

_"I don't know **what** you're talking about," Nightwing responded._

_"You **could** tell him he's wrong."_

_"Is he?"_

_"**We **stepped in it plenty of times, Dick. **Plenty**." When Nightwing did not respond, Donna went through an anthology of mistakes their team had made when they were young. "They could **use** a kind word," Donna finished._

"Maybe I should have said something to him then. Or afterwards in Gotham," Dick sighed. Now that he knew the Titans were up against Slade, he was worried about them – Tim in particular of course. As the third Robin, Dick always considered Tim a little brother of sorts. He did not want Tim to suffer, especially at the hands of Slade. And he knew that if Slade got close enough to Tim that he would be forced into a nightmare. He could not let that happen.

* * *

**A/N:**

Phew. That took a while. The italicized scenes are all taken directly from Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day by Judd Winick.

Since this chapter was a bit of a teaser, I'll start the next one off with thecharacter profiles. And if there's anything that really doesn't make any sense, let me know. This is going to take quite a bit of effort, but I can see it developing, which is a good thing. Anyway, please review!

Thanks for your time!

Sarah Shima


	2. Nightmares and Mementos

A/N: I was going to wait on more reviews, but decided to just put up the second chapter anyway. And why not thank the three reviewers?

**Alexnandru Van Gordon:** Wow, that had to be the best review I've ever received. I was blushing from the high praise. I was unsure of what anyone would think of this idea, so I'mreally happy that youlike it so much. I'm glad youenjoyed the first chapter, and I hope the rest continue to live up to expectations.

**drkng625: **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 1!

**Kazzy103: **Thank you very much! The praise was awesome! Yes, Dick Grayson is the best Robin, however, Nightwing isreally cool. Andyou can restassured that Dick is going to get a lot of face-time in this. I decided that I was torturing him enough in "Oblivion," so I shifted the "apprentice" hunt to another Robin. I hope you continue to enjoy the story as it unfolds!

So yes, and all who know me from my other story know that I make you wait... hahaha, not for updates, but for the climaxes, so expect many chapters in the future.

Anyway, I promised to begin this with brief character descriptions for those unfamiliar with them, or anyone who wants to refresh their memory.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the storyline.

**

* * *

**

**Characters:**

**The Outsiders:** A motley group of acquaintances, the Outsiders HQ is located in Brooklyn. They are hunters, who do not wait for the villains to come after them, they go looking for trouble.

**Nightwing:** Come now, I think we all know who he is… But for those who don't… Richard Grayson was the ward of Bruce Wayne and the first protégé of the Batman. He cast off the name "Robin" when he realized it would always be the end half of "Batman and…" He helped train Tim Drake, the third Robin. He ran various groups of superheroes, one of the latest being the now disbanded Titans. He currently serves as leader of the Outsiders.

**Arsenal:** Originally called 'Speedy,' Roy Harper was the ward of Oliver Queen. After being in various groups, he formed the Outsiders after the disbanding of the Titans.

**Jade:** The daughter of Green Lantern Alan Scott, Jenny-Lynn Hayden's green birthmark on her left palm began to pulse in her adolescence. This birthmark gave her power over a strange green energy similar to the type used by the Green Lanterns. She does not need a ring to control her powers.

**Shift:** Shift was created from a fragment of Metamorpho's body, becoming a near replica of him. He has the ability to transform his body into any element he wants.

**Thunder:** Daughter of hero Black Lightning, Anissa Pierce has the ability to control her density. Which means she can make herself bullet-proof, and very heavy. Also, by increasing her body's density and then slamming down her foot she creates a shockwave. She chose the name Thunder as a nod to her father, and to signify that attack.

**Grace:** Originally a security guard at Chaney's – a popular meta-human night club in Metropolis, Grace Choi is seven feet tall, and has super-strength.

**Indigo:** An android from the distant future, after setting in motion the events which led to the destruction of Young Justice and the Titans, Arsenal had her restarted at S.T.A.R. labs. She has no recollection of her actions or anything else from before that time.

**Teen Titans:** A group of young superheroes under the tutelage of three experienced crime fighters. They are located in San Francisco in Titan's Tower.

**Starfire:** the alien princess Kory now serves as a mentor to the new Teen Titans.

**Cyborg:** Victor Stone. Also a mentor for the TT's.

**Beast Boy:** Garfield Logan, the third mentor of the Teen Titans.

**Robin:** Tim Drake, the third Robin. Trained by Nightwing and the Batman. After the breakup of his team – Young Justice, he became a member of the Teen Titans.

**Superboy:** Conner, a genetically engineered boy whose DNA contains some of Superman's. Superboy's powers consist of touch telekinetics, which allow him to fly and have super strength.

**Wonder Girl:** Cassandra "Cassie" Elizabeth Sandsmark, a girl who possesses a small quantity of Wonder Woman's powers. She was trained by both Wonder Woman (Diana) and Troia (Donna Troy).

**Impulse:** Bart Allen is a speedster from the future. Impulse is the grandson of Flash II, Barry Allen.

**Villains:**

**Jinx:** elemental sorceress.

**Shimmer:** Selinda Flinders, possess the ability to turn one element or compound into another.

* * *

**If At First You Don't Succeed...**

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter 2: Nightmares and Mementos

* * *

**

**Thursday: 1:05 a.m. Dick Grayson's apartment**

Dick tossed and turned, crying out in his sleep. Voices ran through his mind, haunting him, burning him. They spun around each other, overlapping. They were loud, deafening. Memories he had forced away, words he never wanted to hear again, and yet there was no escaping it. They had been unleashed.

'_It's always been about you.'_

'_With a push of the button.'_

'_There is no trigger, because there is no detonator.' _

'_I will annihilate them Robin, and I will make you watch!' _

'_Use the thermal blaster.'_

'_That's my boy.'_

'_I could even become… like a father to you.'_

'_I already have a father.'_

'_All my knowledge, all my power, all for you! And all you care about are your worthless little friends!'_

'_No! I'll do whatever you say!'_

'_If you are truly evil then do what you must.'_

'_Dude! What is your deal?'_

'_From now on, I would like you to call me… master.'_

'_That sounded like a threat young man! A very good one.'_

'_We really do think alike.'_

'_Trust is easy to break, but it takes time to build.'_

'_You and Slade are… similar.'_

'_Just because we're looking for Slade doesn't mean you have to **act** like him!'_

'_I don't want to do this! Don't make me do this!'_

'_We don't want to fight, we just want to talk!'_

'_I am the thing that keeps you up at night.'_

'_I am the shadow that haunts every dark corner of your mind.'_

'_You always knew it would end this way.'_

'_Alone again Robin?'_

'_You are never alone.'_

'_Slade… stop…'_

'_You're too slow Robin.'_

'_A few years of training and you may actually pose a threat.'_

'_We really do think alike.'_

'_My apprentice.'_

'_Apprentice…'_

'_Apprentice.'_

'_My apprentice.'_

'_Mine.'_

Dick's eyes flew open and he sat up in bed. He was shaking, and his face was covered in sweat. He gasped for breath, clutching at the blankets. "They're back… why? Why? I should be… over this by now!" he shouted at himself. "DAMMIT!"

* * *

**Wednesday: 10:05 p.m. San Francisco – Titan's Tower**

Tim and Conner (Superboy) sat side by side in the dimly lit kitchen, sharing a late-night snack. "So, what was up with that Slade guy earlier?" Conner asked, casting a side glance at his best friend.

"I'm not sure. He knew Nightwing, Starfire, and the others though, so he must have fought the Titans back when they were teens," Tim responded, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Yeah, but what does he want?" Conner asked.

"How should I know?" Tim said.

"He kept looking over at you," Conner pointed out.

"So what?"

"And then Kory called Nightwing right away. Something must be going on."

Tim was thinking the same thing, but he did not want to say it out loud. Why did Kory call Dick? What was so important that she had to tell him right away, but they could not listen to? What was going on? If they were on a team, then everyone should share information. What were they keeping from him?

"Have you talked to him recently? Nightwing, I mean," Conner questioned.

Tim shook his head. "Not since that day in Gotham before I joined the Titans," he sighed.

"That long? Wow," Conner said. "I thought you usually kept in touch with him."

"I did, but after the last time we 'talked'… I said all I wanted to, and he made it quite clear that he did not care. So if he wants to talk to me, he can. If not, then oh well. Who needs him anyway?"

"Tim c'mon, you don't really mean that… I mean, he was probably still upset about Donna…"

Tim stood abruptly. "We should go to bed, Cyborg's having us get up early tomorrow," he said. Conner complied, knowing full well that Tim was not planning on going to sleep. However, he did not want to push his friend. As stoic as they seemed, all three members of the 'Bat team' (Batman, Nightwing, and Robin) had horrible tempers.

The pair walked out into the hallway, and then departed for their separate rooms. As Tim headed down the hall, he thought about their creepy new foe. When he reached his door, Slade's words suddenly ran through his mind, _'Ah, a new **Robin**. I wonder though, how does he compare to the original?'_ What was that supposed to mean? _'Who is Slade?'_

**

* * *

Wednesday: 11 p.m. Titan's Tower**

Starfire sat on her bed, peering into the silence. It had been so long since she talked to Dick, so very long. Much had happened in her life since then. Starfire sighed, feeling inconsolably lonely once again.

Two planets she had thought of as "home" had been destroyed, and so she was back on Earth, where she never truly belonged. Her life had been full of despair and torment, but also with love, and happiness. She was tired of feeling awkward, and ill at ease in her own home.

She was not even sure if she was cut out for helping the new Titans. It felt odd, sitting in the tower with a group of teenagers who well could have been her and her comrades years ago. They were even led by **Robin**. She chuckled softly as she thought of what life had been like back then. She had such a hard time understanding everything, the customs of Earth were so foreign. But Robin had always tried to help her. Yes, she had felt so close to him.

She remembered their wedding day, how happy she was to be marrying Dick Grayson. Yet Raven had ruined that. Sometimes she still wondered what would have happened if Raven had not interrupted her wedding. Who knew, maybe she and Dick would still be together? She shook the thought out of her head. What was done was done.

'_Look at me, being so nostalgic,'_ she thought. _'What brought this on anyway?'_ Then she remembered; it had been Slade. Slade was back, and he was looking for an apprentice. Wow, didn't that sound familiar. Even so, she was worried. And that worry was only enhanced by Nightwing's concern. If he was concerned… She would have to watch Tim closely; the boy was suffering from far too much self-imposed guilt at the moment. He could be easy prey for Slade. And she could not let that occur.

"No Slade, it's different this time. You could manipulate Robin because he felt responsible for our safety. However, Garfield, Victor, and I are responsible for this Robin. And we will not allow you to make him your apprentice!" she shouted into the dark room, imagining Slade's sinister masked face before her.

**

* * *

Thursday: 9:10 a.m. Headquarters of the Outsiders**

"God Arsenal, what kind of stupid-ass villain attacks at nine in the morning?" Grace Choi asked, yawning as she walked into the main room.

"Actually, it is ten minutes after nine, or 0910 hours in military time," Indigo pointed out in her metallic voice.

"Yeah, whatever, it's still early," Grace sighed, stretching her tattooed arms.

"I'm not exactly sure _who_ it is yet. Probably one of the 'Fearsome Five,' or should I say 'Four', now that Gizmo's gone?" Arsenal said.

"Well then, let's get on with this," Grace said. "Maybe then I could at least get some sleep afterwards."

"Grace, we must wait for the rest of the Outsiders to arrive," Indigo said.

"Yeah, and that may be a while, like you said, it _is_ early," Shift added, stepping over to Indigo's side.

"Well, we've got five out of seven," Thunder announced. "Just waiting on Jade, and… Nightwing?"

"Where's Nightwing?" Shift asked, "He's usually the first one here."

The door banged open, and a very tired looking Nightwing strolled into the headquarters, followed after a moment by Jade. "So, what's going on?" Nightwing asked, stifling a yawn.

"Oh, it's just Jinx," Arsenal said, slightly disappointed when he checked the monitors.

"What's she up to? Robbing a bank or something?" Nightwing sighed.

"Robbing a bank? When was the last time you took down someone who was robbing a bank?" Arsenal glanced up. Nightwing shrugged.

"Alright," he said, regaining his leader-voice. "Let's go."

* * *

They tracked Jinx to City Hall, where she was busting into the archives in the basement. Nightwing led the team in, surrounding the white-clad witch. She was ready for them, a pulse of light headed toward them. Nightwing dodged it easily, unfortunately leaving Thunder exposed as she could not see well over Nightwing's bulk. She quickly jumped out of the way, narrowly escaping the attack. Nightwing launched at Jinx, his twin escrima out before him. She aimed ice at him, but he managed to stay out of her line of fire as he backed her towards the wall. Also, Arsenal aimed arrows at her, many of which she snapped as they came near her, to keep her distracted.

Meanwhile, the appearance of Shimmer signaled Jade (who was undoubtedly looking for revenge), Thunder (who felt the same as Jade), and Indigo to take the offensive on her.

Shift had gone to make sure all the civilians were out of the area, and Grace was just waiting for an in. She found one when Jinx's powers sent Nightwing flying into the wall. He landed hard, and fell to the ground. Grace jumped in and proceeded to punch and hit Jinx as much as she could. Before long, a pink colored power shot out of Jinx's hand and threw the juggernaut.

Shift returned and assisted in the fight against Shimmer. Every time Jade used her green power to create objects to use against Shimmer, she merely transformed them into different particles. Thunder was cautious to not get too close, too familiar with some of Shimmer's more aggressive attacks. She would never forget the feeling of all of the oxygen in her lungs being changed into water. Thunder increased her density and then smashed her foot down, creating a shockwave that knocked Shimmer backwards. She was off balance just long enough for Nightwing to a deserved punch at the back of her head. She tottered for a moment and then fell unconscious.

Jinx scowled, disappointed that Shimmer had been defeated so easily. Wasn't she one of the strongest? She sent a blast of power aimed at the Outsiders, and they dodged. Shift was hit, but he merely transformed his body into a gas. As the smoke cleared, they saw that Jinx had indeed gotten away.

* * *

**11:15 a.m. Headquarters of the Outsiders**

Two hours after they left, the Outsiders returned to headquarters. Jinx, and Shimmer had managed to escape, and they did not figure out what either were up to. Jade and Thunder were especially annoyed, having taken quite a beating from the Fearsome Five not long ago. Arsenal sank into the chair at the main computer station, looking up what important things were kept in City Hall. Nightwing leaned against a console, stifling another yawn and blinking his eyes. In the main area, Grace was apparently having a bitching session with Thunder.

"And that stupid witch threw me…" she growled.

"Yeah, but my favorite part had to be when Nightwing dodged and left me totally exposed," Thunder complained.

"Really? How did I miss that?" Arsenal laughed, toying with her words. Thunder was not amused. Arsenal turned his attention to Nightwing. "So Boy Wonder, what do you think those two Alcatraz rejects were after?"

"I don't know," Nightwing sighed.

"Are you alright?" Arsenal asked, keeping his voice low. "You look wiped, were you up all night?"

"More or less," Nightwing responded.

"Why? We didn't get any calls last night…"

"I just had something on my mind…" Nightwing responded. "So, have you figured out their motives yet?" he asked.

Arsenal shook his head. "That just seemed so random. City Hall – what could they possibly want from there?"

"Name-change forms?" Nightwing suggested sarcastically.

"Somehow I don't think that's it."

"Well, if you've got all this under control, I think I'm going to go call Tim, see how everything's going," Nightwing said.

"Tim huh? You haven't talked to him in a while. Would this have anything to do with Slade?" he asked.

"I just don't like how we left things."

Arsenal was about to respond to his comment when Shift's voice interrupted them. "Nightwing – you've got mail," he said, holding up a package.

"What?" Nightwing responded, taking it from him.

"First people come strolling in, and now they start sending us mail? We _really _have to do something about our security," Jade sighed.

The box was plain cardboard, with a single piece of paper on the from that read "The Outsiders - Nightwing." Nightwing placed it on the scanners, not wanting to release a bomb in their headquarters. The machine provided a list of the minerals within the box, none of which suggested explosives. Arsenal watched him as he carefully ripped the box open. On top of a mound of sawdust was a small note. Nightwing opened it, reading the words angrily before crumpling it up in his hand.

_Robin/Nightwing,_

_I hope you are doing well._

_I just wanted to send a little hello to my old apprentice._

_I know you must be glad to know that I am 'back,' and I concur. _

_It is nice to be back._

_Warmest regards,_

_Your previous master, Slade_

_P.S. I've enclosed two items for you, consider them mementos of our time together. _

Nightwing growled under his breath as he searched through the box for the other two items. His hand hit something smooth and cold, and he dragged it up. There, right in front of him was an image that had haunted him for years – the black and orange mask. His hand shook as he held it, and then he found the third most terrifying item of all: a cruel metal S. Slade's symbol, the symbol he used for his property. The symbol he forced Nightwing as Robin to wear. _'Damn him…'_

_

* * *

_

A/N: Uh-oh, Tim asked the forbidden question "Who is Slade?" And yes, there will be more Teen Titans in the future, I just had to show the Outsiders more in this one. So, what did you all think of this chapter?

Thanks for reading, now go hit the review button!

Sarah Shima


	3. It's Not Them, It's Him

**A/N: **After receiving some reviews, and finding myself strangely pumped to write this story, I decided to just update again!

**Kazzy103**: Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're awesome! Always reviewing as soon as a new chapter is posted! I love it! Oh, and I'll explain the Raven thing below.

**kkori**: Thanks for reviewing.

**Alexnandru Van Gordon:** A hunger strike, eh? (I certainly hope you're still alive toread this!) That makes me feel so important! I'm glad that you're really into this story, it makes me all happy and excited to write more! I updated nice and fast for you. And now, I have a threat of my own. (Cue Dais (Ronin Warrior villain)laughter)Even though chapter four is just about finished, I will not update againuntil you update one of my three favorites of your stories. Yes, that's right. No more"If At First You Don't Succeed" until "Not Again," "Blast to the Supposed Past," or "The Boogie Man" geta nice, long update. Buahahahahahahahahahhahahahahaaa! That's not so much to ask. Is it? Nah. So, that's the deal. Hahaha. (Can't blame a fanfic reader/writer for getting desperate for an update now, can you?)

**To Everyone:** If you think I've been torturing poor Robin in "Oblivion," I should let you know that it's nothing compared to what I'm, or rather, Sladeis going to do to Tim. Buahahahahahahahahahahhaaaa!

Why am I sounding so sadistic lately? It must be the heat.

* * *

A lot of people have been asking about Raven, so I will, to the best of my ability, explain this. Unfortunately, I do not own the comic where they actually explain this, so we're going by memory and google.

Raven was killed, and the evil in her soul took possession of a new body. Though her former Titans contacts, she began implanting what she believed were the souls of her slain brothers and

sisters—fellow children of Trigon whose mothers had committed suicide rather than give birth to children of evil—into people such as Changeling (Beast Boy) and Frances Kane.

Raven accidentally implanted Raven's true soul into Starfire during the wedding, which made Starfire want to go through with some ritual thing, abruptly ending the wedding. Starfire ended up going back to Tamaran to hide from Raven. Raven sought her in outer space.

There it was revealed that the seeds of Trigon's children were actually pieces of his own essence, planted for his own resurrection. The Titans arrived, with Starfire carrying Raven's soul, and Trigon was destroyed forever (again), leaving Raven as a disembodied, but again pure, spirit.

That's what I… er… Slade meant when he said that Raven was "very gone" she's just a spirit now, and she's gone…

I hope that helps, but don't worry, the Raven thing probably won't come up much.

* * *

Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form, claim to own the rights to anything aside from this lovely storyline.

* * *

**If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter 3: It's Not Them, It's Him**

* * *

**11:16 a.m. Hideout of the Fearsome Four**

"Good, you're awake," Jinx said, eyeing Selinda, also known as Shimmer. The witch shrugged, fixing her curly red hair with one hand and stretching.

"So how'd it go?" Selinda asked, reclining on the sofa.

"What was the matter with you, letting Nightwing knock you out?" Jinx asked seriously.

"I honestly did not see him coming," she responded. "Besides, no harm done. I've been dead before, remember? This bump on the head is nothing compared to that."

"You left me at a disadvantage."

"We already were at a disadvantage. I really didn't think those little amateurs could put up such a fight. I guess since last time it was two on two, and this time was what, two on seven?" Selinda said, unaffected. "We got in there, did what we were paid to do, and got out without getting a one way ticket to Alcatraz. It was a successful venture. Speaking of which," Selinda bent down, lifting a bag laden with money. She pulled the bills out, inspecting them.

"I still wonder who paid us that much just to keep the Outsiders busy for a couple of hours," Jinx pondered.

"Who cares, we got the money, we're free, and now Psimon is on his way to San Francisco to do another job for our 'mysterious benefactor.' I say we celebrate," Selinda smiled.

* * *

**11:18 a.m. Headquarters of the Outsiders **

Three minutes had passed, and Nightwing had not said a word. They all watched him, wondering what significance an extremely ugly mask, a metal S, and that note could have had. Nightwing's shoulders were shaking with anger, and he clutched the mask in a hard grip. Finally, Arsenal stood and walked over to Nightwing. Nightwing seemed in his own world as he did not even react to Arsenal's presence. Roy carefully pried the crumpled note out of Dick's hand, while Dick stood motionless. He unfolded the letter, and read it quickly.

"Dick," Roy whispered, nudging his friend. Dick snapped back to reality at the sound of voice. Roy stared up at him, unsure of what to say.

Dick however, was not in the mood for conversation. He snatched the note out of Roy's hand and then marched out of the room. The door slammed in a resounding thud behind him.

"Roy, what the Hell was that all about?" Grace asked.

"Nothing…" Roy responded uncertainly, staring back at the closed door.

**

* * *

**

Thursday - 1:00 p.m. Titans HQ – San Francisco

Conner was tired already. Cyborg had, indeed gotten them up early. At seven o'clock sharp their lessons had begun. Stealth, and group exercises were practiced. Then there was the boring lesson on calculating your enemy's weakness, which was followed up with more training. They had stopped at noon, their organized activities over for the day. Thank God. After lunch with the other Titans, Conner collapsed on the sofa. Cassie shared his notion, sitting on the couch opposite him in the main room. Bart had gone back to his room. And Tim was… well, Conner really had no idea where he went.

So he voiced his question aloud. "Where'd Tim go?" he asked, looking over at Cassie.

"Back to the training room," Cassie responded, running a hand through her blonde hair as she readjusted her pony tail.

"What? We just trained for like – four hours, why did he go back?"

"How should I know, you're his best friend, you figure it out."

"You know, he was a lot more fun when we first created Young Justice. After that," Conner shook his head. "And the way he's been lately…"

"Well what do you expect? He was leading Young Justice after all, and the way we screwed everything up at S.T.A.R. labs…" Cassie could feel tears well in her eyes again. It had been months since Donna was killed, but she was still mourning her.

"That wasn't his fault," Conner said.

"He thinks everything is his fault. He was trained by Batman, that's a lot of pressure," Cassie sighed. "Diana can be tough, but never that tough. And, if you consider Batman's track record with Robins…"

"One fired, one dead, and one on a major guilt trip… I'd say that it's not them, it's him," Conner pointed out. Cassie nodded.

"So, what are you two talking about?" Garfield Logan asked in the form of a green kitten. He leapt onto Cassie's lap and surveyed the two teens.

"Batman," Cassie responded as she unceremoniously pushed the "kitten" off of her lap.

"Ah, the Dark Knight himself," Garfield responded, making his voice deep. He transformed into his human form and sat down next to Cassie. "What about him?"

"Just that he's hard on Robin," Conner said, still not quite sure of what to make of their third mentor.

"Which one," Garfield laughed.

"Tim," Conner answered.

"Yes, the third to don the horribly colored costume and fight crime," Garfield shook his green head.

"Wait a minute, you knew Nightwing pretty well, right?" Cassie asked, leaning forward.

"I'd say so," Garfield responded.

"So, what was he like when he was Tim's age?" Cassie asked.

"To tell you the truth, pretty much like Tim is. Except more brooding! Robin was always brooding. He took everything so seriously. Of course, he probably had to, since he was leading the group and all. Looking back, we really weren't much help with the bigger enemies. There were just some things the rest of us didn't understand. Like evil, Robin knew what evil was; I just didn't get it back then," Garfield shook his head, seemingly lost in thought. "And he knew about suffering, and pain, and guilt. He was overwhelmed with guilt since he was nine years old. I don't know, Dick was… troubled. Tim is trying to fill impossibly big shoes; no one has ever met Batman's standards," Garfield said. Cassie and Conner just stared at the green person, not sure what to say. They both thought Nightwing was a bit of an ass, but Tim looked up to Dick, so they did not say anything. However, from Garfield's description, it seemed that Dick had a rough life.

"So… what was with that Slade guy?" Cassie blurted out. She expected to be ignored, and was therefore surprised when Garfield answered.

"Slade was Robin – Dick's archenemy for a while. The two were rivals. Dick's whole life was consumed with this obsession over Slade. That's why Kory had you all leave the room when she talked to Nightwing. She didn't want Tim to know about Slade, to see Dick's reaction. Because we don't want Tim to get obsessive over him. This time is different. The Teen Titans is not just a bunch of kids with no clue what they're getting themselves into, this time there are mentors, people to make sure the kids don't get in over their heads. And don't worry, **we** – Kory, Vic and I, will deal with Slade.

"Now, you two better relax, because Victor is really going crazy with all of this training. I don't know what's gotten into him. Hah, if anyone had tried to make me work this hard back when I was young…" Garfield said as he walked to the door. Just before exiting, he turned and spoke once more to them. "And don't worry about Tim, he'll be fine."

* * *

**1:30 p.m. Training Room – Titan's Tower**

Tim pulled out his bo staff, rising to the challenge of the targets. He struck the bull's eye on one, then avoided a laser beam as he aimed for the next one. Another flip and he was past the saw, the third target in his view. He was panting, completely tired. But he reached, pulling his arm back to release the bo staff on the bull's eye. He overshot the target, the bo staff hitting the wall, and shoving his arm backwards. He pushed back off the wall, narrowly avoiding a set of spikes that protruded at alternate times. As he headed for the fourth target laser beams shot out of the near-darkness and struck his left arm and left leg, destabilizing his flip. He landed hard on the metal ground, clutching his arm. The lasers were heat sensitive, and so still shot at him. He rolled out of the way as two beams came at him, hitting the wall. Then he looked up hopelessly as another round came his way. Suddenly, a blue light shot out at the lasers, destroying the apparatus.

"Hey there, doing alright?" Victor Stone asked, walking into the training room, his arm changing back into an arm, rather than the canon that just destroyed Tim's mechanical foe.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tim said, scrambling to his feet, injured arm in his hand. "Thanks for that."

"Hey, just looking out for one of my students. But what are you doing anyway? You've trained enough for the day. Why aren't you taking a break?" Victor asked.

"No time for breaks, I have to improve," Tim responded.

"What do you mean?" Victor asked. "Why do you have to improve right now? You're already the best out of all of the new titans."

"Dick was better," Tim said quietly. Victor opened his mouth to protest, but Tim kept speaking. "You don't understand, I didn't just choose this life, I sought after it. Ever since I saw Batman that first night at Haley's Circus – when Dick's parents died, I just knew that I had to be like Batman. I followed him and 'Robin' around. I figured out that Robin was Dick, I put the pieces together. I realized that Bruce was Batman. Then I worked so hard to get them to accept me as the third Robin. And now, I'm just a big disappointment."

"Who told you that you were a disappointment?" Victor asked seriously, studying the dark haired boy.

"They didn't have to tell me, I can figure it out," Tim responded.

"I think you've got it all wrong," Victor said. "I'm sure if you talked to Bruce or Dick…"

"No, I'm not going to talk to Dick! And Bruce – hah, there's no talking to Bruce." Tim shook his head.

Then he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. "You're not a disappointment Tim," Victor said. "You keep setting your goals too high, that's all. The only person you disappoint is yourself. I knew Dick back then, and I can tell you, that you're just as good as he was. And as far as your relationship with Dick – he just needs time is all. Donna was a good friend, and like always, Dick feels guilty for what happened. He'd be proud of you if he saw how good you were doing here. I promise you that." Victor smiled reassuringly. Finally, the boy nodded and limped out of the training room. "Batman," Victor sighed as the door slammed shut, shaking his head. "He needs to lose that stoic act if he's going to keep having protégés…"

* * *

**1:50 p.m. Titan's Tower – Control Room / 4:50 p.m. Headquarters of the Outsiders**

When Victor walked into the Control Room, Kory, and Garfield were already engaged in an on-screen conversation with Roy, who seemed worried.

"Yeah Kory, he's definitely up to something. Slade's toying with Dick, though I'm not sure why."

"Thanks for letting me know Roy," Starfire said.

"So, what did the note say?" Garfield questioned.

"Just some comments about Dick once being his apprentice," Roy said, shaking his head. "Then there was the mask, and that metal S. Those really freaked him out."

"Yeah, I bet they did," Gar said, thinking.

"Well, you guys just be careful, okay? And if you need anything, give me a call."

"We will," Kory responded.

"Wait Roy, before you go," Victor said. Roy turned his attention to the half-human, half-robot. "Could you tell Dick to talk to Tim? The kid really needs him, especially if Slade is playing games."

"He didn't talk to him yet?" Roy frowned. "He said he was going to… Right before that package came actually. He must have forgotten. I'll let him know Vic," Roy said.

"Thanks, see ya."

"Yeah, bye."

The screen went blank, and the three Teen Titan mentors stared at each other, stone faced.

* * *

**2:10 p.m. Titan's Tower – Tim's Room**

"There you are," Conner said as the door slid open to reveal Tim sitting at his desk.

"We were looking for you," Cassie added, walking into the room behind Conner. They sat down on Tim's bed as Tim swiveled his desk chair towards them.

"What for?" Tim asked.

"Just wondering what you were up to," Conner said. "And making sure you hadn't killed yourself in the training room."

"No, Victor made me leave," Tim said dejectedly.

"Well, we have some news!" Cassie announced enthusiastically. "We got Gar to tell us about Slade!" Tim perked up a bit, looking up at Wonder Girl.

"Yeah, what did you find out?" he asked.

"Well, it turns out that Slade was Dick Grayson's archenemy," Conner said, taking over from Cassie. "Apparently they had quite the competition going back in the old days. Garfield said that Dick was basically obsessed with catching Slade."

"Well, that explains why they called him…"

"Yeah, isn't that crazy?" Cassie asked. "Gar said Kory didn't tell you because she was afraid you would act like Dick about this Slade guy," she added.

"But… you won't, right?" Conner asked nervously, glancing at Tim with his eyebrows raised.

"No. Slade is Dick's competitor, not mine," Tim sighed. "That's weird though, why is he here then? He must know that Dick's in New York."

"Maybe he's not looking to stir up old trouble," Conner suggested.

"Maybe," Tim agreed, but he was not so sure.

* * *

**6:20 p.m. Dick Grayson's Apartment**

Dick heard his communicator beeping, but ignored it. It was just Roy, and if they had a call, he would have said so. Roy should have known better than to contact Dick with his Outsiders' communicator. That should be purely for emergencies. But since Dick had not answered his phone all day…

Dick sighed; he had been resisting the urge to just turn the batarang shaped communicator off. He needed it on just in case something important did come up. _"Dick! I know you're there, just pick up the damn communicator!"_ Roy's voice shouted through it again. Dick ignored him and looked over the scans he had run on the mask and the metal S. Unfortunately, Slade had left nothing behind. Both had been wiped clean. _"AAA! It's Shimmer! She's… attacking…the bank! AAA!"_ Roy's voice called. Dick accepted defeat and picked it up.

"Oh really? And when was the last time you took down someone who was attacking the bank?" Dick asked, smirking as he used Roy's earlier comment.

_"Finally! I've been calling you all day!"_ Roy shouted.

"I know, I've been trying to tune you out," Dick sighed. "What do you want, I'm busy."

_"I wanted to know how you were doing, though I know that you will avoid any such discussion due to your self-imposed Batman-like stoicism,"_ Roy grinned on his end.

"I'm fine Roy. I mean it too," Dick said, not allowing him the satisfaction of retorting to his statement. "I'm just trying to figure out what Slade's game is. He's definitely up to something."

_"Yeah, Kory, and Gar agree,"_ Roy said.

"You talked to them?"

"Well, since I couldn't talk to you…" 

"Fine."

_"Hey, one more thing. Victor thinks you should talk to Tim. Said he's been having a hard time," _Roy said.

"Yeah, I will. Oh, and by the way, don't use this line unless it's an emergency." With that, Dick Grayson ended the conversation.

Dick turned his attention back to the "mementos" from Slade. "Alright Slade, what are you planning?"

* * *

**4:00 p.m. Titan's Tower – Control Room**

Tim had finally managed to get Conner and Cassie to leave. As much as he liked them, there was something more pressing on his mind. Knowing that the mentors were in the main room, Tim quietly slipped in to the control room. Observing the large computer screens and consoles, he chose one in the corner, where he could hide if someone came in. He sat down and called up the main screen. The security had not been set on the computers, meaning that someone was getting lazy.

Tim quickly scrolled through the list of villains, and selected "Slade." Along with a lengthy description of the man was a picture, and a score of links. Tom recognized the mask immediately, and so skimmed through the profile. The links pointed to different battles. Tim explored these as well. As he read, his eyes suddenly grew wide. "Now that's interesting…" he said aloud.

* * *

**A/N: **Ooh, what is Slade planning? What did Tim find? What will Roy do? (Um, okay, maybe that's not one of the bigger questions) And why is Batman such a jerk? (No offense, I personally like Batman, but he's so stoic and annoying to others. Why he kept having teenage sidekicks is beyond my understanding.) But yes, Tim is having a difficult time. Poor guy. Anyway, the answers to the questions above may or may not be in the next chapter, but you can rest assured that it will be a blast.

So Alexnandru, what are you waiting for? Run along now and write! Buahahahahhaaaa!

Okay, enough of the evil laugh. It's more effective in terms of Ronin Warriors anyway.

So, everything making sense? I sure hope so.

I keep putting the time in to remind everyone that Dick and Tim are in different time zones right now, and it helps me keep everything straight too. So when you see the time listed, it's the time for each location.

Oh, and I put a Control Room separate of the living room in Titan's Tower because I think the mentors would probably like some private conversations with baddies and friends. And I'm sure they never dreamed that any of the Teen Titans would go in there and start going through stuff. (Hence the ease with which Tim found himself in the system.) So I hope you all enjoyed it. Now go and tell your friends about it! Alrighty!

Eagerly awaiting reviews and updates,

Sarah Shima


	4. Such A Failure

Alright Alexnandru, here it is with a minute to spare. Although we're not in the same time zones, and by the time I saw your review I had about two minutes to post... Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Still not mine**

* * *

If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter 4: Such a Failure**

* * *

**4:01 p.m. Titan's Tower – Control Room**

_As the Titans chased down Slade's robot and the 'chronoton detonator,' Cinderblock engaged Robin in a separate fight. The other Titans continued the pursuit. They soon discovered that the chronoton detonator was just a fake. The boat launched red beams at them. The Titans went back to the Tower. At this time, Robin's locator was offline, and he was missing._

Tim read avidly, unaware that the Titans had kept logs of battles. In all of the stories Dick had told him about the Teen Titans, he never remembered this one. He continued to read.

_The search for Robin went on for hours, as he had seemingly disappeared._

However, he suddenly heard the doors slide open. Without a second thought, Tim jumped to the floor, hiding behind the desk. He held his breath as Garfield, Victor, and Kory walked into the room. Victor walked over to the large monitor, while the other two sat down. "Roy said he hadn't been able to get a hold of Dick all day," Kory said.

"I suppose he wouldn't," Victor said simply.

"San Francisco's been pretty quiet lately," Kory mused, staring out the window. "Not like the old days, responding to call after call."

"Yeah, but I don't like it. Whenever this happened before – it just meant that something big was about to happen," Victor said uneasily.

"Like Slade?" Gar asked, anxiety obvious in his voice.

"Yes. We need to figure out what's he up to, before something bad happens. I don't want to live that nightmare again, or have anyone else go through it," Victor said. "Especially not Tim." Tim looked up abruptly when Victor said his name, and at the same time drawing a breath.

"What was that?" Gar asked.

"What?" Kory questioned. Gar began sniffing around.

"Someone is in here." He transformed into a bloodhound, nose to the ground as he moved towards the corner Tim was hiding in. Accepting defeat, Tim jumped up from his hiding place.

"Ah! There's that birdarang I lost!" Tim shouted, holding a red weapon in his hand, talking to himself rather loudly. Then he looked up, and feigned surprise. "Oh hi, I didn't know you were in here," Tim lied unconvincingly.

"What were you really doing in here?" Victor asked seriously.

"Sorry, I didn't know that we weren't allowed in," he said, his voice suddenly harsh. "I was just trying to get some information on Slade." The air in the room visibly thickened. "What? He's our new enemy, why shouldn't I do some research on him?"

"We are sorry, Tim. Of course you are allowed in here. And of course you can do research on villains. We are just tense is all," Kory replied apologetically.

"But we need to have a meeting now, so if you could excuse us," Victor said. Tim nodded, walking out of the room quickly.

Once outside, Tim leaned against the wall, sighing. That was close. Then he remembered Victor's words, _"I don't want to live that nightmare again, or have anyone else go through it. Especially not Tim." _Tim felt red-hot anger rise in his chest. _'So Cyborg thinks I can't handle whatever Slade can dish out. So everything he said to me back in the training room was a lie! What am I even doing here? Why am I such a failure! Why can't I ever do anything right!'_ He threw the birdarang in his hand with all of his might, watching as it embedded itself in the wall.

* * *

**5:17 p.m. Titan's Tower – Hallway**

Bart walked down the long deserted hallway of Titan's Tower. After lunch he had gone back to his room and taken a nap. All those practice drills tired him out. However, now he had forgotten the layout of the building – again. Why exactly did every floor have to look the same? And he was too tired to run around and find the main room quickly. Bart heard the distant sound of voices, and so continued in that direction.

As he wandered, his eyes caught sight of something red and shining protruding from the wall. "I don't remember that being there…" Bart said, walking over to investigate. As he neared, he realized the object was actually one of Robin's signature "birdarangs." Bart wrapped his hand around the cool metal, careful to avoid the blades. He heaved, and with one long pull managed to remove the birdarang from the wall. "What was this doing here?" he wondered aloud. Suddenly intent on getting to the bottom of the birdarang mystery, he turned toward the direction of stairs, and moved in superspeed.

Descending the stairs, Bart ran in the vague direction of Tim's room. When he reached the door, he knocked loudly. "Hello! Wonder boy! You in there?" Bart shouted. However, there was no response. Bart turned and zoomed down the hallway again, remembering where the main room was.

When he reached the main room, he saw that Conner and Cassie were watching television together. "Hey Wonder Girl, where's Wonder Boy?" Bart asked, walking over to them, birdarang in hand.

"I don't know," Cassie responded.

Conner turned around and caught sight of the object in Bart's hand. "Where did you get that!" he demanded, knowing that Tim hated it when anyone touched his fighting equipment. "You didn't take it from his room did you?" he asked accusatorily.

"No, I found it. Imbedded in the wall," Bart said.

"What?" the pair said, both staring at Bart now.

"It was upstairs – well up some stairs – I'm not sure exactly where – but anyway, it was stuck in the wall. Robin must've been really mad to do that."

* * *

**6:35 p.m. Titan's Island**

Tim sat outside, his cape close around his body to protect him from the strong winds. He perched on the rocks, staring off into the water. His mind was running through a score of conversations and words he never wanted to think of again.

"_There we were, shoulder to shoulder with the very **inspiration **for **Young Justice. The Titans.** And we lose **half** our team, and half of **theirs**,"_

"_Tim, I bet they were a **lot** like us when they started."_

"_**No**. I don't **think** so."_

"_No, Nightwing's right. Hang back a sec."_

"_Did it work?"_

"_**Stop this **Cassie, please."_

"_So full of ourselves, so sure! We got two people murdered!"_

"_Stupid inept **children** running around pretending to be_ _superheroes!"_

"We'll never learn enough!" 

"_What happened to us out there, we've been **ambushed** before." _

"_We fell **apart**."_

"_And the **worst** thing of it all…"_

" _We swore we would work together to make sure it would **never** happen again." _

"_We thought going through all that made us **stronger**. But it didn't." _

"…_when we saw **Lilith**." _

"_I know what you're feeling." _

"_I know what you're telling yourself." _

"_The same thing I am." _

"_It's** my** fault."_

_Silence._

"_It's my fault…"_

"_Whatever it is…"_

"_I think we better do it alone."_

"_Alone."_

"_Alone."_

"_My fault."_

"_Alone."_

Tim hugged his knees to his body, the guilt he had been avoiding beginning to wash over him. Young Justice was his team. Young Justice got two of the Titans killed. No wonder Dick did not want to be associated with him anymore… Tim squeezed his eyes shut as the memories of the fight at S.T.A.R. labs ran through his mind. Superboy had been so stupid. He tried to take on the Superman android himself, against Nightwing's orders. When Superboy found himself in a jam, it was Nightwing who ran out to save him. Nightwing had thrown those explosives at the robot, cutting its power just enough to avoid being killed when it struck back. If Nightwing had taken that hit from the robot just a minute earlier… Tim shuddered, Young Justice could have gotten Nightwing killed. And he thought he felt guilty now…

No matter what anyone said, he and Dick were not the same. Tim could never be like him. Dick's team had been competent. Tim's team was a bunch of fools who never followed orders. Even then. It was a crisis situation, and with Young Justice and the Titans together, full command authority automatically fell to Nightwing, and yet not one Young Justice member (with the exception of Robin) actually listened to him. Everything could have turned out so much different. Why? Why did it have to happen that way?

Tim stared down at the water, his own sorrow-filled expression looking back up at him. "Hah, some Robin I am," he said, glaring at the masked face. He pulled the mask off, and let the reflection of Tim Drake appear. "There, that's better. Tim Drake, a spoiled rich kid who thought he could be anyone he wanted, and do anything he wanted. That's more like it." He stared at the face with contempt, then splashed the water so that his reflection was distorted.

Tim sighed, putting the mask back on his face. "No, this is the life I chose, and I'm going to stick with it, no matter what. I wanted this, so now I have to live with it."

He sat in silence for a long while, staring out at the Golden Gate bridge, at the cars going by carrying people who knew nothing of the sorrow and death that lingered in their city. Workers, parents, children, everyone just flying by, oblivious. The same people who thought being a hero was cool, that being a hero was easy, the people who never knew what it did to a person. How being a hero could destroy your heart. No, to the world heroes were cheery, not brooding, and they always won. They did not lose other heroes in meaningless battles.

If only reality was like fantasy.

Tim felt a strong hand grasp his shoulder, and turned around hesitantly. Conner sat behind him, staring intently back at Tim. "Hey, you want to talk?" Conner asked. Tim looked back at Conner for a moment, feeling a mixture of emotion: anger, gratitude, friendship, and hatred. He swallowed hard, and then shook his head. "Alright then, let's go in and have some dinner," Conner suggested.

"No, I'm not hungry," Tim responded, standing up.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Tim walked by Conner and straight into the Tower. He did not pause even for a moment as he made his way up the flights of stairs, and down the hallway into his bedroom. Only when the door was safely closed behind him did he collapse. He leaned against the wall; his head hanging down, and felt hot saline run down his cheeks.

* * *

**11:00 p.m. Dick Grayson's Apartment**

He finally remembered to contact Tim. He was actually surprised that slipped his mind, usually the things he dreaded were the things that stayed in constant thought. It was not the talking to Tim part that he was dreading, but the questions. "Who is Slade?" was guaranteed to come up. And how could he deny Tim answers? If someone had done that to him when he was Tim's age… No, he would have to tell him the truth. And Dick was not quite sure if he wanted to relive it all again. It had been buried, forgotten, why did Slade have to return and make it all relevant again? What on Earth had he done to deserve the life he had?

Pushing aside his self-indulgent pity, Dick called up his communicator, and patched himself through to the Titan's main computer. "Hello," he said, staring out into the main room, and finding himself disappointed and relieved that Tim was not in the room.

"Oh, hi," Cassie said, staring back at him, surprised.

"Is Tim around, I need to talk to him," Dick asked.

"He… he went to his room," Conner responded.

"Well, could you get him for me?" Dick asked.

"He looked beat. I think he just went to bed. I knocked earlier and he didn't answer."

"But isn't it nine o'clock where you are?" Dick asked, taken aback. The "bat team" were mostly nocturnal, why would he be in bed so early?"

"He's been pushing himself really hard," Cassie offered. "He might still be awake, but I'd rather not disturb him." She paused for a moment, thinking of Tim's bad temper. "But… I'll tell him you called," she offered.

"Alright, thanks," Dick said, signing off. As he walked away from his computer console he made a mental note to install a direct line connection from his computer to Tim's, no more of the "middle man."

* * *

**Midnight – Titan's Tower – Tim Drake's Room**

_Tim was surrounded by light and color. It was his first trip to the circus. His parents had taken him, enthusiastically showing him the picture of three smiling acrobats. "The Flying Grayson's" were just about the best aerialists in the world. Their nine year-old son was world famous for his quadruple back flip. Needless to say, he was excited. What five-year old was not excited at the circus? The opening acts were fun, but it was obvious that the audience really came for the end act, the acrobats. When the family, clad all in red, green, and yellow, took to the ropes it was amazing. They were gliding, flying through the air. He watched the young Dick Grayson closely as he performed his popular routine. The audience cheered, screeched, and clapped. Then Dick stepped back. _

_The ringmaster announced that the Grayson's, minus their son, were to perform the last part without a net. So the net was dropped. The audience was on the edge of their seats. The two adults were mesmerizing. Each move made in flawless perfection. And then, something went wrong. The ropes suddenly gave way. The two aerialists were falling. The audience was screaming in terror. And then, with a sickening thud, the bodies landed on the ground. The pair were dead. _

_Even as the audience screeched and cried, no sound was louder than the screams of the Grayson's son. Dick had scrambled down to where his parents lay, screaming. The big top was in a frenzy, people were running and calling. The members of the circus were attempting to pry the crying boy off of his deceased parents, but he would not budge. Then, through the crowds, Tim saw a shadowed figure jump down. The Batman. "I'm sorry!" Dick's voice screamed as the Bat descended. The infamous hero of Gotham had arrived. _

Tim opened his eyes slowly. Another memory had unearthed itself while he slept. Why did these memories keep coming up? Why couldn't they just stay buried? He realized that he had fallen asleep on the floor, still leaning against the wall. With a groan, he stood and made his way to his bed. He unhooked the utility belt, and threw it on the floor as his mind continued to run through that old memory.

"Dick…" he murmured, the young Dick Grayson's screams still echoing in his head. How cruel, that in the same night that Dick Grayson began his ascent into the crime fighter Robin, Tim had seen the Batman for the first time, and felt the desire to be like him. One tragedy had turned two mostly normal boys into heroes for justice. But at what price? If Tony Zucco had not sabotaged the ropes, or if the net had still been up, then Dick Grayson would never have created the alter ego Robin. And Tim would never have seen the Batman, and then would still be the normal son of a millionaire. Going even further than that… without the first Robin, would there ever have been a second? And what about Batgirl? And… Tim cut himself off, he had to stop thinking about that. What was done was done. There could be no going back, no changes.

* * *

**A/N:** Tim Drake Major Guilt Trip. I'll go over the scene where some of those quotes came from in a later chapter. 


	5. The Missing and Injured

**A/N:**

I know I have not updated in a while, but it was all Alexnandru's fault, so you know, blame him. Also, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came out, and so I spent much time musing over that rather than my favorite comic characters. So, sorry, but I made this update a tad longer than usual to make up for it.

An apology to all Impulse lovers (if there are any): I am aware that in the new Teen Titans Bart took on the name 'Kid Flash' and ditched his 'Impulse' persona. Keeping him as 'Impulse' was a major mistake on my part, but seeing as no one really seemed to notice, I won't change it. I think 'Impulse' fits him best anyway. So, sorry to anyone who this bothered!

One more, as I tossed out the new Teen Titan's storyline, I had to slip in things that would not exist. Such as, Wonder Girl's golden lasso! She received this from Ares midway into the new TT's, but I decided that she should have it in this story, so don't be surprised when she uses it.

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**Okay, and now for my three awesome reviewers:**

**Alexnandru Van Gordon: **Here you are, I made this one good and long so you have nothing to complain about! Hah! And there's even a fight scene! Anyhow, you are the best reviewer ever, and I'm really glad that you like this story a lot. It's so much fun to write! Anyway, keep working on your stories as well, because we know that everyone loves them. And by the way, you still owe me another chapter to "The Boogie Man" but I decided to be nice and post a new chapter anyway. So enjoy, and then get your computers to start working!

**Kazzy103: **Yeah, Tim is a lot like Dick. And that's not just me, everything I've read has them so similar. Well, birds of a feather... And yeah, everyone's still reeling from that horrible day when Donna and Lilith died, so guilt is in abundance, though not to who it should be... Anyhow, thanks for the review, I hope you keep reading this and "Oblivion," cause I'm turning up the heat!

**ivorypanther:** Yay, a new reader! Thank you very much for the compliments and the review, and keep reading!

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**Important Info:**

**Birds of Prey:** A trio of women who fight crime in Gotham. They are led by Oracle, the computer genius, and the other members are Huntress and Black Canary, who often act as spies.

**Huntress:** Helena Bertinelli, daughter of a crime boss. She is a member of the Birds of Prey in Gotham. She and Nightwing have a "history" and cannot stand each other. She briefly served as an Outsider while Roy recovered from his injuries.

**Oracle:** Barbara Gordon, the first Batgirl. Barbara was shot by the Joker and rendered paralyzed. She now is in the Birds of Prey with Huntress and Black Canary. She also supplies other hero organizations with information.

**Black Canary: **Dinah Lance is a member of the Birds of Prey. She is a martial artist along with having the metahuman "canary cry" which is capable of staggering opponents and rending steel.

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**Disclaimer:** How I wish they belonged to me, but alas, if they did, it would mean I was really old...

* * *

**If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter 5: The Missing and Injured**

* * *

**3:00 a.m. Gotham City**

"Oracle, where did you say this explosion was again?" Helena Bertinelli, Huntress shouted into her communicator as she leapt across the buildings in the Gotham skyline.

_"You're closing in on it. Just another block. You should be able to see it soon,"_ Oracle informed.

"Really? That close? Where the Hell… Whoa." She stopped short when she noticed the plumes of smoke billowing past the next building. She leapt to the next building, carefully approaching the ledge. She looked down and saw a rather self-contained fire from a tipped over tractor-trailer, and a great deal of smoke. However, she saw something else too, a dark shadow standing beside the flames. "There's someone down there," she said.

_"Who is it? Can you tell?"_

"Nah, too much smoke. I'm going to get a closer look." Huntress climbed down the building's edifice, carefully and slowly, while keeping her face close to the rock in order to avoid the strong smoke fumes. She slid down the last two floors, and hit the ground gracefully. Huntress surveyed the scene around her. Though mostly obscured by a dark haze, she could still make out the tractor-trailer. The flames danced around it, casting an evil glow on the surrounding buildings. The smoke had an odd flavor to it, and immediately began to give her a headache. And through it all she saw a man standing perfectly still, his hands behind his back. Huntress approached him carefully. "Who are you?" she asked. He was wearing a mask – she could deduce that much. And he was tall, probably over six feet, with a muscular form. He was definitely not just a random passerby. When he did not respond, she stepped closer. "I said: Who are you?" she pressed.

"I see you're used to getting your own way," the man responded in a calm, deep voice.

"And I see that you have a problem with introducing yourself," Huntress shot back.

"I hardly need an introduction. Then again, I'm probably in the wrong city if I expect to be recognized so quickly," he added, his voice giving away no emotion.

"Hmph, you like to talk," Huntress smiled. "And we can have a good long talk while I escort you to prison."

"My, my, you expect me to go that quickly? So headstrong, so self-assured, I suppose I made the right choice when I decided to target you first," his voice contained a hint of amusement.

"What do you mean?" Huntress asked, her voice deadly low.

"You'll see," he laughed. "Now, let's go."

Huntress was strong, but aside from the throbbing headache, something about the smoke was making her feel dizzy. The obscured image of her enemy began to double, then triple. There was something other than smoke in the air! It had been a set up! He must have lured her into conversation just to get her to breathe in whatever chemicals were floating around her. "Oracle," she breathed. "I think I'm in trouble." However, there was no response. Her communicator was blocked. The man took a step forward, and, despite her training and skills, she found herself backing away. The smoke was surrounding her, she could not breathe. She caught sight of a glint of metal headed straight for her, but could not dodge. She wearily closed her eyes as the projectile hit.

* * *

**Gotham City Clocktower – Headquarters of the Birds of Prey**

"Huntress! Huntress, come in!" Oracle shouted, pushing her red hair out of her face. "Huntress, what is going on, what's happening?" However, she received no response. As soon as Huntress had climbed down the building, she had lost her signal. And no one messed with Oracle's systems; they were some of the most advanced in the world.

As she worked on reestablishing the connection, she worried about the youngest member of her team. Black Canary was on assignment with the Justice Society of America, so Huntress had been flying solo. And she was more than qualified. Yet…

"Huntress!" Oracle tried again. "Dammit! She said someone was down there, they must have disrupted the signal." Resisting the urge to curse again, Oracle worked on finding Huntress.

* * *

**12:55 a.m. Titan's Tower**

_"All Titans, report to Main Room immediately! I repeat, all Titans report to the Main Room immediately!"_ Cyborg's voice called over the all-Tower communication line. They had just received an anonymous tip about a crime happening in the city. Cyborg had been on night watch, and was the one to accept the call.

Robin, who had been awake since midnight quickly stood, and grabbed his utility belt off of the floor. Securing it around his waist, he headed for the Main Room.

Cassie awoke slowly, blinking as her mind registered the words being shouted throughout the Tower. She yawned, and then quickly changed into her Wonder Girl outfit before stepping out of her room.

As Cyborg's voice repeated the order for the third time, Conner finally rolled out of bed. The genetically created superhuman dazedly got up. He retrieved his new Superboy suit, and put it on. He slowly left his room, stumbling down the hall.

When the wake-up call sounded, Bart woke up immediately. Donning his Impulse outfit, he raced out of his bedroom and down the many hallways of Titan's tower.

When the young superheroes arrived, the three mentors had already assembled. Impulse was the first in, followed by Robin, Wonder Girl, and then a very tired Superboy. "So, what's going on?" Superboy asked with a yawn.

"Someone set Cinderblock loose. It looks like it's time for this team to test their abilities against one of our old opponents," Cyborg explained. "So team, let's go," he said, leading the way out of the Tower.

* * *

**4:00 a.m. Dick Grayson's Apartment**

One of the benefits of leading a group of hunters was that at night, it was actually possible to sleep. There were very few late-night calls. Those all went to the city's protectors. And so the great superheroes could relax for once, without having to deal with the regular issues of city watch. Plus, in such a group, the members actually received paychecks, so, no day jobs.

And Dick Grayson was definitely enjoying the perks.

He was actually sleeping well, no nightmares, no insomnia, when a continuous beeping sound began to register in his subconscious. _"Nightwing!"_ a woman's voice called over his Outsiders' communicator. _"Nightwing respond!"_ Dick opened his eyes slowly, annoyed at the interruption. He reached over to the table beside his bed, and grasped the bat-shaped communicator.

"Yes," he asked with a yawn.

"_Nightwing, it's Oracle."_

"Oh, hi. What's going on?" he asked, becoming a bit more alert. If Oracle was calling him, it must have been important.

"_Trouble. I think something has happened to Huntress,"_ Oracle said, her voice betraying her worry.

"Huntress? What? What happened?" Dick asked, astounded.

"_She was on a call, there was an explosion, someone set it off. Anyway, just as she was approaching the suspect, something interrupted our signals. I lost contact with her. And I just think…"_ Oracle paused, not sure what to say. However, Dick could understand what Oracle meant. And it was not good._ "I wouldn't have bothered you, but, Black Canary's out on assignment for the JSA, and Batman's busy…"_

"I understand, Babs. What do you need from me?" Dick asked.

"_How quickly can you get to Gotham?"_

"I'm on my way," Dick sighed, shutting off his communicator and getting out of bed. As he prepared himself for the trip, Dick could only shake his head. "Gotham, wonderful," he whispered, clearly not keen on going back again. Once a year was plenty for him…

San Francisco 

Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy stayed on the sidelines, deciding to let their team take point on the fight. They would only interfere if the Titans were having trouble. And for now, they seemed to almost have everything under control. Robin was leading the quartet of young superheroes, standing back and shouting orders. After a few failed attacks, Robin told Wonder Girl to attack with her lasso. So Wonder Girl wrapped her golden lasso around Cinderblock, powering it in an attempt to electrocute Cinderblock. That attempt failed. Being stone, the lasso did not affect him in the least.

"Robin should have figured that out already," Cyborg muttered to the others as they observed. "He should have known electricity wouldn't work."

"Just give him a few tries," Starfire said.

Impulse caught Cinderblock's attention, and began running around him in circles. As the stone villain spun around to keep his eye on Impulse, he became dizzy. Then, Robin pulled out two explosive birdarangs and thrust them at Cinderblock. As the smoke filled the air, Robin whipped out his bo staff and slammed Cinderblock. Their enemy fell down, hitting the ground hard.

"Alright team, good work," Cyborg congratulated as they stepped away. Suddenly, Cinderblock reached out and grabbed Wonder Girl's ankle. Standing, and holding the struggling Amazon upside down, Cinderblock faced the would-be victors.

"Cassie!" Superboy screamed as she kicked into the air in her attempt to hit Cinderblock. Impulse shot forward, circling around Cinderblock's legs, hoping to knock him off balance.

"Impulse wait!" Robin called. "Stop!" If Cinderblock fell over, he could easily injure Wonder Girl. However, Impulse did not listen to Robin. Superboy leapt into the air and delivered a super-strength punch to Cinderblock's face. "Superboy, no!" Robin shouted too late.

Cinderblock staggered from the combined effort of Impulse's running and Superboy's blow, and fell backwards. As he hit the ground, the weight of his hand landed on top of Wonder Girl, who was struggling to free herself. She was knocked unconscious immediately. Robin raced forward to extricate Wonder Girl from beneath Cinderblock's hand. Meanwhile Starfire made sure that this time, Cinderblock was really out cold.

Robin lifted the limp form of Wonder Girl in his arms, one arm beneath her shoulders, the other underneath her knees. "Cassie!" Superboy shouted, running towards Robin. "Is she okay?"

Robin shook his head. Wonder Girl was covered in blood, and her left arm and right leg were twisted into unnatural angles. "We need to get her to S.T.A.R. labs," Robin shouted to Cyborg.

"Not necessary, I can take care of her right at the Tower, but we better hurry," Cyborg responded. However, there was coldness in his voice that made Robin nervous.

"Here, I'll take her," Starfire offered, pulling Wonder Girl from Robin. She shot up into the sky, headed for the Tower. The other Titans quickly made to follow, each in their own way, while Beast Boy hung back to bring Cinderblock back to jail.

* * *

**5:00 a.m. Gotham City**

Nightwing bent close to the ground, examining the sooty footprints that clung to the concrete. They looked familiar somehow, but he could not quite place it. _"Found anything?"_ Oracle asked, her voice coming straight out of his earpiece.

"Just some footprints," he responded.

_"Man or woman?"_

"Man, definitely. There's not much else though. Except it doesn't look like the tractor trailer's engine burned, or even the gasoline for that matter," Nightwing added, turning to observe the city crew cleaning up the wrecked truck.

_"Then what started the fire?"_

"At this point, I'd say not 'what,' but 'who.' Huntress' attacker must have planned this out," Nightwing sighed. He was not Huntress' biggest fan, but the idea that someone had targeted her directly made him uneasy.

_"So what else do you have?"_ Oracle pressed.

"Not much. I have samples of the ash from the fire, images of the footprints, and the names of eyewitnesses along with their accounts of what happened. Still, there's not really a smoking gun in that group," Nightwing responded. "If it's all the same to you, I think our time would be better spent in the clock tower's lab."

_"Alright then, come on back. I'll let you in."_

"Coming." He turned off his earpiece and looked around the area. The whole section of the street was in ruins, and the surrounding buildings were covered in ash and soot. He sidestepped some cracked pavement and stared at the tops of the buildings. He wondered what exactly Huntress saw. Oracle said she had been on top of a building and looked down at the fire, she saw a person standing amidst the smoke and flames.

Who would do that? Some kind of pyro? A metahuman?

And why target Huntress? If they wanted money they would have gone for a member of the bat family, and even though Huntress served under Batman for a while, she hardly fit in that group.

Revenge? Could some of her father's old mafia enemies be after revenge? But even so, how would they know that Huntress was Helena Bertinelli?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Nightwing turned and headed for the clock tower, headquarters of the Birds of Prey. As he turned to leave, he thought he briefly caught the outline of a man wearing a cowl and cape against the rising sun. However, he had no interest in discussing the morning's events with him, so he pointedly did not look back as went to meet up with Oracle.

* * *

**2:30 a.m. Titan's Tower**

Tim, Conner, and Bart sat in the hallway outside of Titan's Tower's medlab. Starfire, and Beast Boy were assisting Cyborg in treating Cassie's wounds. The three teens sat in uncomfortable silence, refusing to meet each other's gazes. Finally, Conner spoke. "That sucked," he said.

"Which part?" Tim asked bitterly.

"The whole thing. We should've been able to trash Cinderblock without anyone getting hurt," Conner pointed out, rubbing his hands through his dark hair.

"Yeah, we should have. If you two would have just listened to me," Tim added angrily.

"Wait a minute? You're blaming this on me and Conner?" Bart asked, glaring up at Tim. Bart was still in his Impulse costume, and his glare would have been much more intimidating if his eyes were not covered by orange goggles.

"Maybe I am. I told you two to stay away, I told you to not knock him out," Tim said, his voice rising, and his eyes cold with anger behind the mask.

"It wasn't our fault," Conner said, his face growing hot with fury, and just a little bit of shame. "It… it was Kory, Vic, and Gar's fault. They said they would help if it got to be too much, but they just sat back and let Cassie get hurt," Conner accused.

"We should not have needed their help in the first place," Tim said, annoyed with the whole situation.

"Dude, what is your problem?" Bart shouted. "Why shouldn't we need their help? Isn't that why we're here, to learn how to fight crime the right way, from people with experience? What's the point if they won't step in when it gets tough?"

"We never had anyone else fighting our battles when we were in Young Justice," Tim said.

"Yeah, but we also had Empress, Arrowette, and, at least for a while – Secret and Slobo. Now there's just four of us," Conner pointed out. "And if you're about to compare us to the original Teen Titans, just remember that they were always a team of at least five."

Tim looked about to shoot a retort at Conner, but stopped, his mouth half-open. "Still…" he said. "We let a member of our team get hurt. Next time could be worse."

"Well, maybe this wouldn't happen if you were a better leader!" Bart suddenly shouted, losing his head completely. Tim looked back at him in shock, his mask not completely hiding his expression of surprise and anger.

"Bart…" Conner began.

"No, don't defend him! All he's done since Donna died is go on and on about how we're not as good as the original Titans, and he's right! I bet Dick made a much better Robin than Tim!" Bart yelled, his eyes on Conner rather than Tim.

Tim did not say anything. His eyes set into a cold Batman-like stare, he turned and stormed out of the hallway. Not quite sure where he was going, he left the Tower and headed for the city.

* * *

**5:30 a.m. Gotham City Clocktower**

The door slid open before Nightwing even had time to knock. He was greeted by the sight of Barbara Gordon sitting on her wheelchair at the main computer console of the clock tower. The computers and systems she created that caused her to take on the name "Oracle."

"Hey Dick, long time no see," Barbara said, staring avidly at him.

"Yeah," Dick responded, pulling his mask off. Barbara gestured for him to join her at the consoles, and so he sat beside her. Being next to Barbara seemed to take him back in time. It reminded him of when she was still mobile, of when she was Batgirl and he was Robin. That seemed like ages ago.

"So I've already started analyzing the images you sent back, now all I need is the samples you took," Barbara said, turning to him.

"Right," Dick responded, handing her the two canisters. One just held a sample of air from the scene, and the other some of the ash. He watched her while she worked, trying to figure out what had happened to Huntress. After a while, Barbara turned to him again.

"So great detective, have you figured anything out yet?" she asked.

"Not really…" he admitted. "So, unless you have something that could help…"

"I'd have to say no. The air was clean, and the ash was just that, ash. Nothing of real merit there."

"Still, we know that somehow this villain was able to interfere with your communicators."

"Yeah, and I'd like to know how…" Barbara said bitterly.

"Either he had a device set up, or there was some nanoscopic sized objects in the air, to throw off electronics," Dick mused.

"Not just throw off, completely deactivate." Dick looked up at Barbara abruptly. "Yes, whatever was in the air, or the area, it turned everything off. The communicator, the locator, everything."

"Are you sure?" Dick asked.

"Dick, of course I'm sure! This is my technology!" Barbara said exasperated.

"Well, maybe whoever took Huntress deactivated them manually."

"No, she was mid-sentence when they shut down, and they all went off at the same time. There's no way anyone could have turned them all off. Whoever did this, they were prepared. They knew exactly what they were doing," Barbara turned away from Dick, her voice breaking.

"Babs…" Dick began, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We're going to find Huntress, it'll be alright."

"I… I can't believe… why would this happen?" she asked, swiveling her chair to face him, tears in her eyes.

"It's always a risk," Dick whispered. "You know that, I know that, and Huntress knows that. It's not as if it's never happened to any of us before," he added, smiling reassuringly.

"I know. I'm being stupid. I just need to focus on finding Helena, that's all."

"Are you okay? You seem different," Dick said quietly.

"I'm alright, I just… I've been feeling pretty useless lately," she sighed.

"What are you talking about? You run support for just about every superhero team out there! Without you, we wouldn't catch half of the villains we get!"

"Yeah, but it's not the same as it used to be," she said, her face revealing no emotion. "I sometimes wish I was still out there 'doing it.' I had a lot of good times as Batgirl. I was more involved. And times like this, with Huntress… If I had been with her…"

"Then two crime fighters would have disappeared. Trust me, this guy knew exactly what he was doing. No 'what ifs' would have changed that. Now come on, get to work. Find this guy."

* * *

**A/N:**

Yes, I made Barbara temporarily go to pieces. I had to, it just seemed right.

And yeah, Cinderblock was tough huh? Well he should be right, how many years have passed? I have no idea if he is really still around or not, but I was grasping for a bad guy who wouldn't have some big agenda, and voila look who I chose.

So yes, what will happen now? Will Tim beat Bart to a very quick bloody pulp? Will Cassie awaken? Will Dick and Barbara find Huntress? And who has Huntress? Hmm, the situation continues to intensify... Well you'll have to find out the answers to these questions and more (or will you?), next time, on "If At First You Don't Succeed."

'Till then,

Sarah Shima


	6. What Are You Going To Do About It?

**A/N: **Since I'm heading off for a beach vacation tomorrow, I decided to update now. I will be gone for one week, to relax, get covered in sticky salty air, get a tan, read Antigone, and of course, write out some new chapters for my fanfics. So there will be even more action when I get back!

Oh, and I'm pulling back the apology for the Impulse/Kid Flash thing I put in the last chapter. He turns into Kid Flash after an event that happens in the storyline I scrapped, so he's still Impulse anyway.

Now for some comments:

**Alexnandru Van Gordon:** Well, I already smacked you in my review to "No Secrets" for the rock throwing, so I guess we're even. I know I keep beating around the bush and avoiding one on ones with Slade, but that will all change very soon. Not in this chapter though... Or maybe it will? Hmmm... Anyway, you're still the best reviewer I have on this story, and I hope it stays one of your favorites. So, read, enjoy, and review again.

**ivorypanther: **I certainly hope that what you're thinking is what I'm planning, seeing as you called me 'ingenious' and all! Anyway, I'm glad it's an intriguing story, and I hope you continue to R&R, because I love reading reviews, and I love it when people read my stories! And feel free to e-mail me on your predictions for this story if you'd like. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**PhoenixClaw:** Yay! A new reviewer on this story! It's not exactly taking off as I'd hoped with others, but I'm glad to write for the few who are enjoying it. Thank you very much for your comments and compliments, I'm glad that I've made this story understandable. I was worried about the cameos and such for a while... Anyhow, thank you very much, and I hope you continue to read and review!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned them, then you'd have to pay to read this.

**

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**If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter 6: What Are You Going To Do About It?**

* * *

**3:30 a.m. Titan's Tower**

Conner did not know exactly when he fell asleep. He was so worried about Cassie he thought that sleep would just not come. One minute he was sitting on the floor next to Bart, and the next, he was waking up. As he opened his eyes his gaze was met by bright green orbs. "Hey, wake up," Kory said, staring down at Conner. "You can see Cassie now," she added with a smile. The smile reassured Conner, it meant that Cassie was doing all right.

Next to him Bart was already standing. Conner got up and hurried into the med lab. He was shocked at the sight that met him. Cassie was lying on of the med tables, a blanket pulled up to her neck. However, one of her arms was folded over her chest, and covered in a hard cast. He could also see a cast surrounding her leg. Gauze was taped to her face over her numerous cuts, and her blonde hair lay dully beside her head. She was still unconscious, and her expression was pained. "Is she going to be okay?" Conner asked, hesitantly stepping towards her.

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Victor responded, his voice cold.

Bart stood in the doorway, surveying the scene before him. "Phew, I was worried there for a while," Bart sighed. Then Gar and Kory joined the others in the medical lab.

"Hey, where's Tim?" Gar asked, looking around.

Conner shook his head. "We got into a stupid argument and he took off." The three mentors exchanged glances.

* * *

**3:30 Downtown San Francisco**

Robin shot a grappling hook out into the darkness, trusting that it caught on something. He leapt out into the air by the end of the jumpcord and landed safely on the ledge of a broken down tenement building. The city was pretty much empty. It was too late for most people, and too early for others. He sat down on the ledge, the memory of a conversation he had barely participated in running through his mind. It had been right after Donna Troy's funeral.

"_**Stop **this, Cassie, **please**," Conner pleaded with the young heroine as he and Tim approached her. She was sitting on the grass, her knees pulled up against her chest. She buried her head in her hands, resting them against her legs._

"_Go away," Cassie ordered stubbornly, sobs breaking her words. She did not look up at them._

"_Cassie…" Tim began, but he let the sentence die as she began to speak again._

"_Just go away, **please**, just go** away**," Cassie requested._

"_This wasn't **our **fault. **We** didn't make this happen. All we tried to do is **help**," Conner said, bending over towards her._

"_That's the point. All we **ever** do is **try to help.** We never **do **though, do we?" she asked, looking up at them, her face covered in tears._

"_That's **not** true," Conner responded gently._

"_We're **useless** – you hear me, **useless**," she said, her face set in a hard stare._

"_We're not usele –" Conner began to argue._

_Cassie leapt to her feet, glaring up at Conner. "We don't know what we're **doing**! We **never** knew what we were doing! So **full** of ourselves – so **sure**! We got two people **murdered**! Stupid, inept **children**, running around pretending to be heroes!" Cassie shouted, her hands curled into fists. She turned her back to them as Conner spoke again. Tim stayed silent, not quite sure if he could really argue with what Cassie said._

"_I know we – have a **lot** to learn – but we **can't**…" Conner protested._

"_No… it's never going to be enough. We'll never learn enough…" Cassie said defiantly as she walked away from them._

"Cassie's right. I knew it then, and I know it now. God, I'm so stupid," Tim whispered, leaning his head into his hand. Then he suddenly remembered why he was feeling so anxious. "Cassie!" he shouted, feeling stupid. He had to get back and see if she was okay. So, readying the grappling gun again, he set out for the Tower.

* * *

**Titan's Tower**

Tim walked quietly through the halls of Titan's Tower, hoping that no one would notice him. He managed to make it up to the hallway of the medical lab before he was spotted. Conner was coming out from visiting with Cassie, and he saw Tim as soon as he walked out. "Hey…" he greeted Tim, not sure what to say after the earlier argument.

"Hi. How's Cassie?" he asked quickly to avoid conversation.

"She's doing okay. She's asleep right now. Hey… about earlier," Conner added.

Tim shook his head to signal to Conner that he was not going to talk about it. "I'm going to go in and see her."

"Okay, but Victor's having a meeting. He wants everyone in the Main Room in ten minutes."

"Alright, see you then," Tim responded, walking past Conner and into the medical lab.

He entered the medlab slowly, staring at Cassie's limp form from across the room. It hurt to see her like that. She was so vibrant, and always in-your-face. It was strange to have her be so quiet and still. Tim sat in the chair beside her, and gently stroked her hand. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You shouldn't have gotten hurt." He sat in silence for a long while, just watching her steady breathing. However, he was thrown back into reality when a voice was heard over the intercom.

_"Tim, report to the Main Room."_ Tim sighed as Cyborg's voice spoke into the room. He sounded angry. Tim pulled himself up and walked out into hallway, glancing once back at Cassie before turning and heading for the Main Room.

Everyone was still in their superhero costumes as they gathered in the Main Room for a team meeting. Victor was standing in the front, looking uncharacteristically stern. Gar was currently lying on one of the couches while Kory stood beside Victor. Bart and Conner turned automatically towards the door as Tim entered, and Gar sat up waiting expectantly for the meeting to begin. Tim purposely did not meet Bart's gaze. He slumped on the sofa beside Gar and turned to Victor and Kory.

"Now," Victor began. "Obviously this fight did not go well tonight."

"Hey, they still won," Garfield pointed out.

"Yes, but not without a teammate getting injured," Victor affirmed. "Now, there are ways to improve ourselves so this does not happen again. The four of you did not work as one cohesive team. Everyone was trying to do something different, and that ain't going to do you much good. You'll definitely have to work on that in the future."

"But, other than that, you all did well," Kory interrupted. "It was one of your first fights as a new team, and you did win."

"It's been a long night, er, morning. How's about we let the kids go back to bed?" Gar suggested.

"Good idea Garfield. That's all for tonight Titans," Kory said, calling the meeting to an end. The three stood up to leave but were interrupted by Victor.

"Tim, could you hang back a minute, I want to talk to you," Victor requested. Tim complied, though he seemed reluctant to do so, and Conner stared back at the pair wondering what was up. However, soon everyone had left except for Victor and Tim.

"So… what do you want to talk about?" Tim asked.

"About what happened out there against Cinderblock. First of all, you should have known that Cassie's lasso never would have worked against Cinderblock. You put her in danger by having her try it." Tim did not respond. "And Tim, you have to pull your team together," Victor said. Tim rolled his eyes behind the mask. "You're not acting like a leader."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"A leader should, well, _lead_, and I don't see you doing that."

"It's not my fault that they didn't listen to me," Tim said angrily.

"Well there's your problem, you're blaming your team. You need to work with them more, get them to listen to your authority. If not, we'll just have to put someone else in the leadership position." Gone was the sympathetic Victor who told Tim he was the best of all of the new Titans (although he was), now Victor was looking at the team objectively (or so he thought) and coming to a conclusion on how to get the team to survive their upcoming battles. However, Victor did not realize how wrong he was to speak this way, and by the time did realize it, it would be far too late.

Tim stared back at Victor, the surprise and hurt not making it past his anger. How dare he speak that way to him? He led Young Justice long before the new Teen Titans, and no matter what Victor thought, it was not his fault that Cassie was hurt. And as for replacing him – who exactly would he get?

"Fine, do what you want," Tim said, standing and turning his back on Victor. "It's not as if I need you or this place anyway. You can say whatever you want, but no one else is right as the leader of the Teen Titans except for me. I don't know what your problem is, but I was trained by not only the two greatest detectives – Batman and Nightwing, but I also learned martial arts from Lady Shiva. I led Young Justice just fine before you showed up. And I can still lead the Titans, if Impulse and Superboy would just learn to take orders. Maybe you should work on that," Tim said, his shoulders shaking in fury.

"Tim, none of that matters to me. I'm not going over your resume here, so you can drop as many names as you want and it still won't make a difference. I'm going by what I see happening and not happening. And right now, I don't see this team as working together, and I'm trying to root out the problem. And maybe, just maybe, that problem is you," Victor said calmly. Tim did not say a word, but stormed out of the Main Room.

As much as he put up a strong, determined front to Victor, Tim was not feeling that way. He hurried to his room as fast as he could, careful that no one should stop him. He was not sure if he could hold his thoughts and feelings back if someone tried to talk to him. Finally, he reached the safety of his bedroom. Securely locking the door behind him, he headed straight for the desk and grabbed his bat-communicator. As much as he wanted to appear independent, there were just some times when a boy needs his older brother.

Switching it on, Tim punched in the code for Nightwing's communicator and then lifted it to his ear.

* * *

**Gotham City Clocktower**

Barbara was still working on searching for any shred of evidence she could find. Dick on the other hand had fallen asleep in his chair. It surprised Barbara as out of character, but she did not think on it much. Even superheroes had to sleep sometimes. She had not found anything yet, so there was really no need for him to be awake. As she went over the data from the air sample she heard a loud beeping noise.

_"Dick?"_ a teenaged boy's voice called over Nightwing's communicator. _"Dick, are you there?"_ he asked again, his tone sounded urgent, so Barbara reached over and shook Dick. He woke up quickly, and she motioned to his comm.

"Tim?" Dick asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

_"Hi. Are you… are you in the middle of something?"_ Tim asked, hesitant to distract Dick from anything important.

"Not really, I was just in the middle of a nap. What's going on?" Dick asked, surprised that Tim had called him, and disturbed by the meekness of Tim's voice.

_"Oh, did I wake you?"_

"No, Barbara did," Dick sighed, shooting Barbara a glance. She was pretending to not listen in on the conversation, though not very convincingly.

_"Barbara? Where are you?"_ Tim asked.

"In dear old Gotham, home sweet home," Dick responded sarcastically. "I'm helping Oracle find Huntress," he added, knowing that Tim was about to ask him why he was there.

_"Oh, okay…"_ Tim paused, not sure if he really wanted to tell Dick what had happened or not.

"Is everything alright?" Dick asked urgently, he had forgotten about Slade during the search for Huntress, but now it all came crashing down on him and he was worried.

_"Not really… We had a fight with Cinderblock ton- er, this morning."_ Tim paused, as if grasping for the right words. _"Cassie got hurt,"_ he added, his voice breaking.

"Is she okay?" Dick asked. When Tim did not respond, Dick asked again, this time the urgency in his voice apparent. "Tim – is she okay?"

_"Yeah, Vic says she'll be fine,"_ Tim responded, but his voice still sounded strange.

"Well, that's a relief. So, what's wrong with you?" Dick asked gently.

_"Victor, he… he doesn't think I cut it as a leader,"_ Tim said quickly.

"What?" Dick demanded.

_"He said that if I didn't pull the team together he was going to bring in someone else to lead,"_ Tim said, his voice breaking again. _"But it's… it's not my fault Dick, I swear! I don't know what to do to get Conner and Bart to listen to me, they keep just doing whatever they want, and when they do… people get hurt…"_

"I know," Dick said. He had not quite forgotten the mess that Superboy and Impulse made when the android attacked Cyborg, and then later when the Superman android fought them at S.T.A.R. labs. "I can't believe he said that to you. He has no right to! And hah, as if the old Teen Titans were ever good at working together. We got it eventually, but it took a lot of tries."

_"Really? How did you manage it?"_ Tim asked, feeling a little reassured by Dick's words.

"Well, Cyborg had a real problem with authority. We didn't get along too well in the beginning, he kept wanting to take over. And then when I screwed up he was right there to throw it back in my face, over and over again," Dick responded, remembering the Red-X incident, and the whole Slade's apprentice mess. Cyborg had been less than supportive of Dick Grayson then. "Then of course Raven didn't tell us about the end of the world coming, and there was all sorts of trouble. But we just eventually figured out that we were only as strong as we were united. Leaders exist because nothing gets done when too many people try to control it. By them recognizing that I was in charge, everything went easier. Although, when I say easier, I mean easier for them, not for me. The thing you have to remember is that it's harder to lead than to be led. You're going to mess up every now and then, and people may blame you, but that's just part of the job."

_"Does it ever get easy?"_ Tim asked hesitantly, afraid he already knew the answer.

"No, it doesn't. I'm having problems with the Outsiders right now as a matter of fact," Dick sighed. "But Tim, don't take what Cyborg said to heart. I'm sure he's just overreacting, and placing blame where he shouldn't. Now come on, you should get some sleep."

_"Since when do either of us sleep?"_ Tim asked.

"Since now, so go do it. You'll feel better with a few hours under your utility belt. And if anyone tries to disturb you, let them know they'll have me to contend with."

_"Alright then. See you later Dick."_

"Yeah, bye."

Dick put the communicator down and sighed, rubbing his hands through his thick, black hair. "That was very nice," Barbara said. Dick looked at her quizzically. "For a minute I thought you were going to lose it and get angry, but you handled the situation quite calmly."

"It took some effort," Dick said. "I can't believe Victor! What gives him the right to tell Tim he's going to replace him? Since when does he knew what it takes to make a leader?" Dick demanded. Barbara shook her head. She was about to say something when Dick's communicator beeped again.

"Hello?" Dick said, answering it.

_"Dick, hey, it's Roy,"_ Roy's voice said.

"What's going on?" Dick asked.

_"I've made arrangements with government officials to let one of the Outsiders visit Alcatraz, just to make sure that Mammoth and the others are safely behind bars. I'm worried about the 'Fearsome Four' making their move. The last thing we need is all four of them united. We had enough trouble with just Jinx and Selinda, not to mention Psimon…"_

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Dick agreed, a little disappointed that he had not thought of it himself, but he had been a little distracted lately.

_"So, who should we send?" _

"Actually Roy, I think I'll go," Dick offered.

_"What? Why? We need you at Headquarters."_

"No, I think I should be the one to check it out. Remember what happened last time? Yeah, they don't like metas in Alcatraz, and at least if I have one endearing trait to them, it's my whole human DNA. Besides, it'll give me a chance to stop by Titan's Tower, Tim's having a tough time and I need to have a face-to-face talk with Victor," Dick said.

_"Alright then, come back to headquarters and we'll decide on when to go."_

"Okay, bye." Dick turned his attention to Barbara. "Babs…" he began apologetically.

"No need to apologize. There's nothing else you can do here anyway. You should get back to New York," she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked

"Yeah, besides Batman checked in while you were asleep. Apparently he's not too busy anymore, and he offered to help find Huntress." Although Dick found it annoying that Batman had been too busy to help before, but now that Dick was searching had finally taken an interest in Huntress' safety, he pushed the thought aside.

"Alright then, I'll get going," he said, reaching of his mask. "If you need me, you know my number."

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Control Room**

Victor joined Kory and Gar for one last discussion of the night's battle, and to put it into the mainframe. As the three worked out the narrative, the call signal went off on their large screen. "Who would be contacting us now?" Victor asked, walking over to the console.

"Maybe it's Dick?" Kory suggested a little too hopefully.

"Well, we'll see," Victor said, the human-half of his face growing hot at the idea of a confrontation with Dick. However, the man whose face appeared on the screen was not Dick's.

"Slade?" Kory said, turning to the console.

_"Bravo, after tonight's little performance you must all be so proud,"_ Slade mocked. _"You're doing a particularly good job with these new little heroes, villains everywhere will be very grateful."_

"Save it Slade, we don't have time to listen to you," Victor said angrily.

_"Oh, how disappointing,"_ Slade laughed.

"What do you want from us?" Garfield asked, staring at Slade's masked face.

_"I never kept it a secret. I'm in the market for another apprentice; my last few attempts haven't worked out so well. And I know exactly who I want. Although Cyborg, after tonight, I would think that you would be glad to be rid of him."_

"What makes you say that?"

_"I saw how you glared at him, you don't want him. Why not let him learn under someone who will appreciate his distinctive talents?"_ Slade asked.

"Never!" Kory spat.

_"Fine then, we'll do this the hard way. But remember, Starfire, it all could have been so much easier."_ The screen went dead.

"What was he talking about?" Garfield sighed. "I could never figure Slade out." The other two agreed. "Well, we might as well call Dick," he added. Victor visibly stiffened.

"Yeah, you two take care of that, I'm going to go check on Cassie," Victor said, leaving the room.

"All right then," Gar said, punching in Nightwing's code.

* * *

**Gotham City Clock tower**

Nightwing was just about to leave when his communicator beeped once again. "What are you today, 'Grand Central Station'?" Barbara laughed as he answered.

"Nightwing here," he said.

_"Hey Dick, it's Gar,"_ Garfield's voice said.

"Oh. What's going on?" Dick asked, wondering what he wanted to tell him.

_"We got another com visit from Slade. He's planning something."_

"What else is new?" Nightwing sighed. "Did he say anything specific?"

_"Just that he was going to 'do this the hard way,' I'm not really sure what he's up to."_

"Alright, thanks for letting me know."

_"Yeah, no problem. Bye."_

"Yeah, bye."

"More trouble?" Barbara inquired.

"Always," Nightwing responded. "Between Huntress missing, Slade planning, three of the Fearsome Four on the loose, and all the other villains, us superheroes have out work cut out for us."

"Well, good luck," Barbara said. "I'll let you know if I need you again."

"Alright. Bye."

So Dick finally left the clock tower and walked out into the bright morning sunlight.

* * *

**8 a.m. Outsider's HQ**

Nightwing waited with Arsenal in the control room of the Outsider's Headquarters for everyone else to arrive. It was early for their crowd. They pair passed the time discussing Huntress' disappearance.

"No idea who might have done it?" Arsenal asked.

"Not yet, though Oracle's going crazy trying to find her," Nightwing responded.

"Yeah, I bet. Always hurts when a teammate goes missing… But still, who would abduct Huntress? I mean of all people…" Arsenal asked.

"Well, she's a hero, and all heroes are fair game for villains," Nightwing pointed out. "And with how many got loose doing that prison break…"

"It could be anyone. But still, at least we know it's a man, that narrows the possibilities. And Oracle is bound to find something eventually. Besides, most villains we've dealt with do not abduct heroes and then not make some sort of demand known. It's just a matter of time," Arsenal sighed. "But still, who knows what sort of situation Huntress is in right now."

"Something happened to Huntress?" Grace asked as she walked into headquarters.

"Yeah, abducted, and no leads yet," Arsenal responded.

"That sucks," Grace sighed. "I mean, she could be a real bitch, but still, I like her." Roy grinned and Nightwing rolled his eyes. Jade, Shift, and Indigo all entered together, and took seats, awaiting the arrival of Thunder. Finally they heard her heavy footsteps, and Thunder hurried into the room.

"Am I late?" she asked, sitting next to Jade, who was examining her green complexion in a small mirror.

"Nah," Roy responded. "But hey, everyone's here, so we can get started. Now, we all know that Shimmer and Jinx were definitely up to something when they attacked that City Hall," he said. The others nodded. "However, Psimon was not with them, which probably means one thing."

"Alcatraz?" Jade asked, taking a guess.

"Yes, the last member of the Fearsome Four is in prison, and I will bet that Psimon is going to break him out. So, just to be safe, I figured one of the Outsiders should go check out the prison, make sure everything's on the up and up," Roy said. The team members grumbled, they would not soon forget the way they were treated the last time they inspected Alcatraz. "And, Nightwing has opted to do the inspection himself," Roy announced.

"Seriously?" Grace asked.

"Yes," Nightwing responded.

"Why would you waste your time on a stupid inspection of Alcatraz?"

"It's not stupid if Psimon is planning on breaking Mammoth out of prison. And besides…" he paused a moment and then finished his sentence. "I have to go to San Francisco to check up on some friends."

Grace looked at him suspiciously, his response not having been sound enough, but after a glance from Roy, decided to drop it.

* * *

**10 a.m. Titan's Tower**

After everything that happened earlier that morning, the mentors decided it would be best if they let the teens sleep in a little later than usual. However, Victor was already planning the day's training routines. All structured around taking orders, and giving orders. He was actually interested to see how Conner would make out as a leader, so he decided on a practice that would test his strengths.

As the team (minus Cassie who was still unconscious) gathered in the training room, they all avoided looking at each other. Tim was ready in his battle armor, but he was leaning against the wall, purposely ignoring Cyborg. Conner and Bart were becoming impatient as Cyborg began to describe the routine they would be practicing today.

"Alright, obviously team members are bound to get hurt in battle. So, everyone needs to be ready to take point in case that happens," Cyborg explained. "Today, we're going to try something a little different than usual. This scenario will be to see how Superboy and Impulse would do alone if something happened to Robin." Tim looked up quickly when he said that. Cyborg's plan sounded to Tim as if he was already getting ready to rid the Titans of Tim. Conner and Bart glanced briefly at Tim, who made sure that his expression seemed unaffected. "So Robin, I'm going to have you sit this one out today. Just, stand back and observe, alright?" Tim was glaring icy daggers at Cyborg, but due to the mask he could not tell.

Robin stayed leaning against the wall, watching as Superboy attempted to shout orders to an Impulse who was clearly doing whatever he wanted. "Hey, listen to me!" Superboy shouted finally, getting Impulse's attention.

"What?"

"I'm trying to give orders, pay attention!" Superboy shouted.

"Fine!" Impulse said back.

They dodged another onslaught of laser fire, and Impulse seemed to be finally listening to Superboy. Angry that this change had not occurred while he was leading, Robin decided to do something about it. Reaching into his utility belt, he pulled out a flash-bang, and two exploding birdarangs. As Cyborg cheered on the two Titans, Robin took aim and threw the three weapons at them. Not expecting an assault from behind, Superboy found himself directly in front of the flash-bang. He covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, while Impulse ran from the little red bird-shaped bombs. One collided with Impulse, blowing up in his face. The other did not land on its mark however, as Cyborg shot it down with his sonic cannon.

"What the Hell was that?" Cyborg demanded of Tim.

"Well, you wanted to see how they would react in a battle situation. And so I simulated a surprise attack for them," Robin responded.

"I told you to stand back and watch," Cyborg seethed.

Robin was about to retort when the alarms in the Tower began going off. Cyborg accessed his communicator on his arm and barked into it, "Kory, Gar, what's going on!"

They were saved the need to respond when a deep voice boomed over the speakers throughout the building. _"SINCE WHEN AM I NOT ALLOWED ACCESS!"_ the voice demanded. Robin suddenly brightened.

"Sorry Nightwing," Cyborg mumbled.

"_Yeah, so are you going to let me in or not?"_

Cyborg left the room to punch in the access code for Nightwing, leaving a stunned Superboy and Impulse, and an excited Robin in his wake. After a few moments, Cyborg returned, the intimidating figure of Nightwing just behind him. They were already arguing. "Why would you put in a new security system and not give me access?" Nightwing demanded.

"I just didn't think of you when I configured it," Cyborg responded calmly.

"Really? That's interesting, seeing as how I was the person who set up this building's security in the first place. Oh, and did you happen to miss that statue outside?" he added. Robin snorted quietly.

"Well Nightwing, I didn't see why I should allow you access, you have no connection to the Titans anymore," Cyborg said.

"No connection? Really, that's interesting Vic," Nightwing responded angrily. Cyborg was smart enough to not argue with him anymore. "Hey," Nightwing said, turning to Robin.

"Hi," Robin said back, barely concealing a grin.

Nightwing looked over at Superboy who seemed dazed. "What happened to him?" he asked.

"A flash-bang," Cyborg responded, his voice filled with contempt. Nightwing could barely contain his smile.

"So, what are you Titans practicing in here?" Nightwing asked.

"Just some leadership drills," Cyborg responded. Nightwing raised one eyebrow, and glanced briefly at Robin.

"That don't involve me," Robin added hastily. Nightwing raised both of his eyebrows.

"Really, how's that working out?" Nightwing asked.

"It was going just fine," Cyborg responded.

"Yeah sure," Nightwing said, feeling another fight coming on. "Well, if Robin's not involved, then you won't mind if I steal him for a minute? Good, let's go Tim," Nightwing said before Cyborg could stop him.

"So," Nightwing began as they entered the Tower. "Care to give me a tour?"

"What for, you've lived here before," Robin pointed out.

"Sure I have, but I don't live here anymore."

"All right," Robin said, wondering exactly what Nightwing wanted, but just happy that he was there at all.

They walked along the hallways, sun spilling in through the windows. When they reached Robin's room, Nightwing asked is he could see it inside. So the pair of heroes walked into the small bedroom.

"Here it is," Robin announced half-heartedly. It was nothing special, a small room with a bed, a desk, and a chair. The window's blinds were drawn so no light permeated, and the white walls stood starkly against the furniture. It could have been anyone's bedroom. The only objects that revealed the true owner were three framed photographs. One was of Tim and his family, the other an image of Robin and the members of Young Justice, and the third was an photo of Tim and Dick.

"I like what you've done with the place, very warm and inviting," Nightwing said sarcastically. Robin shrugged. "Where's your computer?" Nightwing asked. Robin pointed to a laptop on the desk across the room. Nightwing immediately crossed the room and turned on the computer.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked, standing next to him.

"Setting up a direct link between our computers," Nightwing explained.

"Why?"

"In case I need to get a hold of you, or you of me. It just makes sense. I used to link up my computers with Batman's, though I didn't use that connection much…" Nightwing paused and then continued. "I tried to reach you the other day, but your friends flat-out refused to see if you were awake or not, apparently afraid of getting you angry."

"I wish they had," Robin said. "I was wondering if you would call or anything…" The two stared at each other for a moment. "I mean, the last time we really talked – other than last night of course, was in Gotham after Donna… and I just…"

"Yeah, I'm not really proud of how I handled that. It was just a difficult time."

"I know. Cassie's still really upset about it, she hasn't spoken much about Donna since then, but I can tell," Robin said dismally.

"The mark of a good leader, you know your team well enough to tell when something is bothering them. It's a good thing Robin," Nightwing said.

"Thanks…

"So, what are you doing here? Don't get me wrong, I like that you're here, but I know you did not make the trip out from New York just to link our computers," Robin said.

"You caught me. I have to go to Alcatraz, and check up on Mammoth, make sure no one's working to break him out." Robin nodded. "And I wanted to have a talk with Victor, Kory, and Gar about this team too."

It was silent for a while as Nightwing worked on Robin's computer, and Robin mulled over what Nightwing might want to talk to the mentors about. "Done," Nightwing said finally. "Now all you have to do is click here." He motioned to a blue bird on the screen. "And you'll be in direct contact with me. And you can use it for anything, emergencies, conversations, whenever you need or want to talk to me."

"Thanks Nightwing," Robin said, and he meant it. A direct connection with Nightwing meant he did not have to worry about people overhearing his conversations (which were usually held in the main room) or interrupting them by beeping him on his communicator.

The pair stepped out into the hallway again, and headed towards the main room. When they reached there, they were met by the brilliant smile of a certain orange-skinned, red-haired alien. "Nightwing!" Kory exclaimed. "What brings you here?"

"Just checking up on the team," Nightwing said. No one would argue with his right to do so, he was Dick Grayson after all…

"Wonderful!" Kory said, a little too enthusiastically.

"Right, um is Victor done with 'training practice' yet?" Nightwing asked.

"Yes, he just returned, he is up in the control room. Do you need to speak to him?"

"Yeah I do actually. Hey Robin, wait here for me okay? I'll only be a minute," Nightwing said, walking out of the room. Robin however, was not content to just sit there. He waited until Kory had followed Nightwing, and then headed stealthily toward the Control Room himself.

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Control Room**

"Victor, we need to talk," Dick said, leaning against the wall and staring down the cyborg who was seated.

"Sure Dick, what about?" Victor asked as Garfield glanced at the two with interest. Kory entered and sat in the back.

"About how you're 'running' this team," Dick said.

"Now see here Dick, you don't have any say in how I, or Gar or Kory, decide to run this team," Victor said, hoping to nip the argument in the bud.

"I think I do," Dick responded.

"Well what you 'think' is not-" Victor began, but Dick cut him off.

"You do realize the situation the Titans, and every other group of superheroes are in right now?" Dick asked. "Slade's plotting, Huntress is missing, three of the Fearsome Four are on the loose, Brother Blood is gaining power, the Joker's killing people, not to mention there are villains everywhere celebrating their release from prison and preparing to attack."

"Though I didn't know about Huntress yet, I do understand that we have to stay prepared for anything right now. Just last night Cassie was injured fighting Cinderblock, who miraculously escaped from a prison that has kept him in for years. So tell me Dick, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Just that I think this is not the time to start putting more pressure on Robin. Threatening his role as leader Vic? Was that really necessary?" Dick asked. Garfield and Kory leaned forward with interest, they were not aware of the conversation between Robin and Cyborg.

"I think it was, and since I'm a mentor on this team, not a…"

"Mentor in general?" Nightwing finished. "Listen, I helped turn Tim Drake into Robin in the first place, I know what's he capable of, and I know what his skill level is. And I have to say, that I don't see how you could even consider replacing him."

"Because of the dangerous situation this team is in, they need a strong leader, someone they will listen to and follow the directions of. Currently, no one listens to Tim except Cassie. And because of that, Cassie was injured. Now I'm not placing all of the blame on Tim, Conner and Bart need to learn some responsibility and realize that they can't run around half-cocked all the time, but I don't know how to impart to them exactly what they have to do. Yet, when I put Conner in charge in the training exercise, Bart listened to him, and everything went fine."

"Until Conner ended up dazed and confused."

"Well, that was Tim's fault. He wasn't supposed to attack them."

"And you think the enemy always announces in a bold voice _'Hey, I'm about to attack you! Pay attention to me!'_?"

"Of course not…"

"I rest my case," Dick said, realizing that he was getting to Victor. "Anyway, the real problem right now is Slade. He's after Robin, and we all know it. So that leaves the question: What are you going to do about it?"

* * *

**A/N:** Hmmm, what is he going to do about it? I wonder... 

Sorry to anyone who was offended by how much of a bastard I made Cyborg, but then again, someone had to be, and it just seemed to fit for him. So yeah, I guess I'm not sorry after all. I actually enjoyed writing that scene too. Poor Tim, I'm slowly making his life Hell...

Oh, and I should explain the comment Nightwing made about the 'statue.' In the comics there is actually a statue outside of Titan's Tower of the original canon founders - Robin, Aqualad, Speedy, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash. I don't know exactly how I'm going to make the comics and cartoon meld together for the beginnings, so I just slipped that little comment in for fun.

So how was this for a long chapter? Everyone enjoy it? I hope so.

So anyway, feel free to ponder what I've written until my update after my vacation.

Until then,

_Sarah Shima_


	7. Plans Set Into Motion

**A/N: **Here I am with another exciting, exhiliarating, exponential, extraordinary, and other things that begin with 'ex' chapter. My vacation was fun, I have weird tan lines, and I spent much time wondering if I was indeed still in the USA, seeing as everyone around me was French Canadian. But I thought long and hard about the direction I was taking this fic, and I decided on a great mid-story climax. So get ready folks!

Alright, some acknowledgements:

**PhoenixClaw: **You're right, I do write mostly to please myself. There was a long time when I wouldn't let anyone read my writing. I would get kind of self-conscious about it, I still feel that way sometimes though. I don't know, I guess writing is an extension of self on paper, kind of like singing, drawing,or playing music, it's hard to take criticism when you feel like you've spilled blood for the art. I don't know if that made sense, but I think you'll get my meaning anyway. So yes, I do not let this lack of reviews discourage me, because I want this for me. Though the reviews certainly don't hurt any... Oh and hah, seven people have this on alert, yet most never reviewed, how odd. By the way, I haven't gotten a chance to review your fic yet, but I've been reading it, and I must say, you've got some real talent. Anyhow, thank you for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Alexnandru Van Gordon:** I'm not sure if I got this in soon enough. I was busy watching TV shows I taped while on vacation so I didn't check my reviews until late. Anyway, it's here now, so if you get a chance to post, then by all means... Although it is your turn now, so you have to update either way... But I think you still owe me a chapter of "The Boogie Man"... I hope you like this chapter, I love the way I structured it, and I want everyone on the edge of their seats throughout. And I have an awesome climaxfor it. Buahahahahahhaahahahahahahaaaaaa:cough cough: Sorry, the 'Dais' laugh is hard to contain sometimes. So yeah man, after reading this get to work, you have many fanfictions which are dying for updates, don't let them die, it's cruel, and highly unusual, and well Robin would be quite disappointed in you, though I'm not sure which one. There were really four, though I don't think the last one counted, she was just weird... Anyway, I digress. Um, thanks for the review!

**Disclaimer:** Hah, as if! I can't even afford a DC poster, as if I could own it all!

**

* * *

If At First You Don't Succeed **

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter 7: Plans Set Into Motion**

**

* * *

Titan's Tower – Hallway **

Robin stood angrily in a small hallway off the main route to the Control Room. He was just glad he had heard Impulse and Superboy before they saw him. They were complaining about the surprise attack he had launched at them, and he was sure they would be in the mood to argue with him for much too long if they caught him. And he really wanted to listen in on Nightwing and Cyborg's conversation. So he hid, and waited for the pair of irritated teens to walk past him so that he could get to the Control Room before they were done in there. Finally he saw them walk back into the main room, and jumped out into the main hallway, rushing toward the Control Room.

**

* * *

Titan's Tower – Control Room **

"We have it under control," Victor said simply.

"Oh really, how's that?" Dick asked. "I'm not trying to be mean here, but let's face it, when have any of us ever had the situation with Slade under control?

But I haven't forgotten what it feels like to have someone want to possess me, to own me. Slade put us all through Hell, and I'd rather not see history repeat itself. I don't want what happened to me to happen to Tim," Dick said. Victor regarded him silently for a moment, not sure how to respond. His anger was fizzling as he realized that Dick was here as the protective older brother of Tim, and not as a rival for his position on the Titans. Though he would never admit it, not even to himself, he sometimes felt very jealous of Dick Grayson.

"It won't," Victor responded.

"I'm afraid your word on it doesn't mean much to me," Dick responded honestly. "You can't make promises, no one can."

**

* * *

Titan's Tower Hallway **

Tim finally arrived at the control room door. He pressed his ear up against the door, but could not hear anything. Cursing under his breath, he reached into his utility belt and pulled out a small headset. He stuck the rounded end in his ear, and then pressed the flat side against the door. The reception was a bit muffled, but he could at least here. Nightwing was talking. _"…no one can."_ Tim listened intently as Nightwing continued. _"I just want you three to do one thing for me. Keep an eye on Tim okay? I don't want him going anywhere alone, it's too dangerous right now. The last thing we need to do is give Slade a chance to corner him when he's by himself."_ Tim felt heat building in his chest, anger or embarrassment he was not sure. Nightwing was telling the mentors to practically baby-sit him. Even Batman had afforded him more independence than that. A meta-human escort wherever he went? That was absurd!

_"So you want us to follow him around all the time?" _Gar's voice questioned.

_"Well, just outside of the Tower…" _Dick amended.

_"Sure thing,"_ Garfield responded. Tim's anger piqued, was Nightwing even planning on telling him about this? It sounded like the conversation was wrapping up, so Tim quickly slid away from the door, and headed back downstairs.

**

* * *

Slade's Hideout **

Slade was amused. It did not take much to amuse him these days. He had left a little trail of breadcrumbs for Nightwing to follow, but apparently his skills at detective work had gotten sloppy. Oh well, it did not make much difference in Slade's plan anyway. Actually, if possible, it only helped. He tore his eyes from the monitors that scanned activity within Titan's Tower, and looked behind him. Someone was stirring.

Huntress slowly came to, her body felt like lead, and there was a nasty taste in her mouth. She blinked a few times before her stubborn eyes would come into focus. She found herself staring at an old light, which hung over her head. Turning away from it, she took in the area around her. A small, dingy room made from concrete blocks surrounded her on all sides. There was a door off to the side, which was open and revealed a man standing before a computer console. Huntress sat up on the cold ground and stared at the man, recognizing him immediately as the one who set the trap for her back in Gotham.

"Awake are we?" he asked, his voice deadly smooth. He walked into the room, and kneeled on the floor before her. "And how are you feeling Miss Huntress?" he asked patronizingly.

"What do you want with me?" she asked angrily. She would strike him, if only she had the strength to lift her arms.

"That's an interesting question," Slade said.

"So answer it you bastard! Why did you abduct me! What do you want?" Huntress demanded, her voice rising.

"Well, I needed a test subject," Slade responded.

"What do you mean?" Huntress asked darkly.

"See, I have a plan which seems foolproof, but I have seen too many of those fail to get cocky now. So, I decided to test my new secret weapon, just to make sure there are no unfortunate side effects," Slade responded. Huntress pulled back her arm heavily and took a swing at him. Slade however caught her wrist before she could land her blow. "Temper, temper," he chided. "That could get you into trouble some day." He stood, turning his back on her. Once again, she was too weak to attack, and it made her whole body burn with anger.

"Why me?" she asked. "I'm sure there are plenty of people in the world you could have used as your 'test subject,' so why me?"

"Well, that answer is relatively simple. I wanted it to be a hero, someone who would be noticed when they went missing, and of course, heroes are a different breed than ordinary citizens. But, I needed a normal human, who knows how my experiment would react with meta-human physiology? So that left me with a very limited number to choose from. We have Batman, Nightwing, Robin, you, Oracle, Arsenal, Green Arrow, and Green Arrow II," Slade sighed, going over the names. "I had no interest in abducting Batman, he would make worse company than you. And I could not go after Nightwing or Robin when my plans involve them. Oracle was too hard to corner, and as for the archer group, I just did not see how they would be good targets. So that just left you. Congratulations."

"Go me," Huntress said sarcastically. "So what do you want with Nightwing and Robin?" she asked.

"What is this? Twenty questions? I'm afraid our conversation is over," Slade said.

"Wait a minute, if you're such a big time villain, then why did you tell me everything you just told me?" Huntress asked, pushing her luck.

"Because you won't remember any of it anyway," Slade responded. He walked out of the room. He stepped over to the console and pushed a button. There was a loud sound of metal scraping on stone, and then a barred door slid down in front of the doorway, sufficiently trapping Huntress within the stone prison.

As Slade busied himself with the monitors, Huntress worked on regaining full use of her body. As she relaxed and tensed the muscles in her neck, she felt something at the base of her skull. She carefully reached out and felt a small round object protruding from under her skin. "What the Hell?" Huntress asked. She pulled at it, but could not get it out, it felt as if the device went through her skull and into her brain. "This must be the 'experiment' he was talking about," she said nervously, fingering the device. "I have to get out of here, I have to get help."

**

* * *

Titan's Tower – Main Room **

Tim was already working on calming himself down as he arrived at the Main Room. Nightwing was worried, that was not so bad, was it? At least he cared; Batman had hardly said two words to him since the break-up of Young Justice. And Dick knew more about Slade than Tim, so maybe this was all necessary. Dick was scared, and he did not scare easily. He would just have to deal with Starfire, Beast Boy, or Cyborg following him. Except not Cyborg, he really did not want to be tailed by him; he would make quite a pompous guard dog indeed. Tim paused, wondering what he missed when he had to duck for cover in the hallway. He was curious as to what Dick had said to Victor, he knew Dick was angry with Victor for wanting to replace Tim. He felt the childish desire to know that someone else had solved his problem for him.

However, his mind was spinning quickly now, and it pointed back to Slade, who seemed to be the biggest problem at the moment. And then it dawned on him, the question he had been itching to ask Dick for a while. What happened to him in the battle with Slade that Tim read about in the Control Room? He was pretty certain that Victor would have put up some sort of security, so there was only one way to find out what he wanted to know. _'At this time, Robin's locator was offline, and he was missing.' _The last part Tim had a chance to read was quite tantalizing, and maybe it would explain everyone's hushed attitudes toward Slade. Perhaps if he knew what went on that day, he would find out why he was being kept in the dark about who Slade was, and what he wanted.

He looked up quickly when Nightwing walked into the room. "So, how'd it go?" Tim asked, attempting to sound casual.

"Alright. Victor should stop hassling you for a while," he added the second part with a slight smirk. Tim frowned, realizing that Dick was indeed going to conceal the new 'escort policy' from him. Dick noticed the change in Tim's expression even through the mask, and tilted his head. "What's wrong?" he asked. Tim decided not to reveal that he had spied on Dick, and so launched straight into the topic he wanted to know about.

"The other day I was in the Control Room looking up old Titan's case files," Tim began, glancing up at Dick. He saw that Dick's expression seemed unfazed, and so recklessly plowed on. "I came across a fight against Slade, involving a chronoton detonator…" he paused as Dick raised his eyebrows. "And I got as far as it saying that you disappeared before I had to log off. So, what happened?" Tim asked breathlessly.

"Why don't you just get back on the computer?" Dick asked. Tim was disappointed, Dick was waiting for him to incriminate himself for going through the files in the first place.

"Because those files are off-limits now," Tim sighed.

"I see."

"But really, what happened to you?" he asked. "I mean, out of curiosity you know…"

Dick considered telling him, but found that the timing and placing were not great. And so took a quick cop-out, just to buy himself some time. "It's a long story, and I have to get to Alcatraz for that inspection."

"Oh, right," Tim said. "Hey, could I go with you?" he asked, wanting to get out the Tower, and spend a little more time with Dick. He looked up at his mentor hopefully.

"No, this is Outsiders business. You're pretty busy with your own team. Just stick with the Teen Titans," Dick said, his tone a little harsher than he intended.

* * *

**San Francisco Bay**

Psimon stood on the bow of a small boat, looking towards the not-so distant island fortress, Alcatraz. He felt confident about the plan, it was so simple it was genius. The wind blew past the glass that enclosed his overlarge brain as the boat neared the island. He looked at the discs in his hands, each engraved with a harsh 'S' emblem. Of course he knew who the benefactor was, he just let Shimmer and Jinx stay in the dark. Who needed them anyway? Slade knew Psimon was the only one who could put this plan into action, and so he had been chosen. A short while ago he had used Brother Blood's attempt to release the prisoners from the Antarctic prison under mind control, to indeed let them free. However, Psimon prevented Blood from controlling the criminals, and then instructed them to head to the waiting vans and escape. It had been a wonderful day. He just wished he could have stuck around to see the look on Nightwing's face when all of the most dangerous criminals in the world were set free, and with the Outsiders right there too. It had been a sweet victory.

Then of course, the Outsiders had partially gotten back at him by preventing him from blowing up Canada. It was too bad, that plan was perfect. Psimon had almost finished singing the Canadian national anthem as he released the nuclear bomb when the stupid Outsiders raced in to stop him. Oh well, it was a minor setback for him. At least he had not been sent back to prison like Mammoth.

However, Mammoth would be free soon.

**

* * *

Titan's Tower **

Anger burned within him again as Nightwing departed from Titan's Tower. _'No, this is Outsiders business… Just stick with the Teen Titans.'_ Nightwing should have just said he was completely worthless and useless. _'Just stick with the Teen Titans.'_ He shook his head in agitation, and pushed the thoughts from his mind.

Tim walked down the hallway towards the medical lab to visit with Cassie before going to the training room for some practice, and of course, the opportunity to release his anger and stress on inanimate objects. As he neared the door, Conner walked out and headed in the opposite direction of Tim. Happy once again to avoid any run-ins, Tim slipped quietly into the med lab.

He was surprised to see Cassie sitting up and fully awake. "Hey!" she greeted, waving her uninjured arm at him as he entered.

"You're awake," Tim said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, and about time too," Cassie sighed. He noticed that her complexion was back to its normal pinkish hue, and she looked a great deal better than she had when Robin lifted her from beneath Cinderblock's hand.

"How are you feeling?" Tim asked, pulling up a chair next to her bed.

"Pretty good, aside from these horrible casts. Ugh, how am I supposed to fight like this," she whined, motioning at her leg and arm.

"I don't think you'll be doing any fighting for a while," Tim pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess not," she breathed, leaning back against the pillows.

"And I wanted you to know that I'm sorry…"

Cassie shook her head to cut him off. "You don't have to be sorry. It was just a bad battle is all," she said.

"Still, you never should have been hurt," Tim said.

"That's not your fault. I personally blame Cinderblock. I know you're angry with Bart and Conner over it, but they'll get better. It's just going to take time." She smiled up at him, and he felt his anger ebbing away. "So," she began, changing the topic. "I heard Nightwing was here."

"Yeah, he was," Tim said.

"Well, that's a good thing isn't it?" Cassie pressed. She sat up straight again, and began pulling a brush through her long blonde hair.

"Yeah."

"You're not much for conversation today," Cassie pointed out with an audible sigh. "Something bothering you?"

"No, it's nothing," Tim said quickly, too quickly.

"A-ha! So something is bothering you!" she proclaimed. "Did you and Dick fight?" Tim shook his head. "Then what is it? Come on, I have nothing to do but sit here, so at least talk to me!"

"Do you know if anyone called Diana about you getting hurt?" Tim asked suddenly, cleverly changing the subject.

Cassie shook her head. "And I hope not, I don't want Diana coming out here when I barely have a scratch."

"You broke two limbs, that's a lot more than just a scratch," Tim said wearily.

"I'm an Amazon warrior Tim, I heal quickly. I'll be up and about in no time, just you wait," she said brightly.

"Yeah, you meta-humans get all the perks," Tim smiled. "If **I** broke two limbs, I'd be out of commission for a long time."

"Well then, you'll just have to work extra hard to make sure that doesn't happen," Cassie said. "But then again, you like extra work don't you?" she teased.

Tim shrugged, unable to participate in the conversation and banter as his mind was weighed down with thoughts. What was Dick hiding from him? Why did he need to be guarded when he was outside the Tower? Why did Dick praise him one minute, and then tell him he was a stupid kid the next? And what role did Slade play in all of this?

"Tim, hello, Tim," Cassie said, waving her arm in front of his masked face.

"Huh? What?" Tim asked.

"Where did you just go?" she asked. Tim groaned.

"I should get moving if I want to practice some more before lunch," Tim said. "So, have fun lying around Miss Amazon, the mere humans have work to do," he added with a laugh. He hurried from the room as she shouted after him, knowing that if she was not laid-up he would be in trouble.

**

* * *

Alcatraz Island **

Psimon knelt in the grasses that surrounded the island, watching for approaching boats or planes. The hardest part of the plan he was entrusted with today would be the timing. He could not act until Nightwing was far enough in the prison. That would take some effort, and he would have to be very careful until he put Slade's disrupters on the meta-human dampeners in the prison, because, with the dampeners in place, his telepathic powers were useless. However, the plan was foolproof.

By the end of the day the heroes of the world would be frozen with fear as he proved once again that they were just mere mortals.

* * *

**A/N:** Dun, dun, dun! Uh-oh! Dear me! What will happen! The situation continues to intensify... 

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. And to all those out there who read this, come on, just review, you know you want to...

Well, see you next time, come prepared to bite your nails throughout the whole chapter, it'll be a doozy,

_Sarah Shima_


	8. Mere Mortal

**A/N: **Hey everyone! This chapter is a lot longer than my usual ones, and much more intense, so prepare yourself. It took me forever to write too...

**Alexnandru Van Gordon: **Here, I updated just like I said I would. And tell your cousins and sisters to review dammit! I'm dying over here...Anyway, you might want to sit down while you read this chapter, I'm serious, I'm not leading you onor anything.And you think you're going insane now... :evil laughter: Oh, and this is all action, I promise, no angst. Anyway, I'm glad to see my story has such an effect on you. And see, this chapter is long, because Ican write long chapters, unlike some people I know. :glares at you:I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Phoenix Claw: **You're welcome! And thank you for the wonderful words of encouragement and flattery. It really makes me feel good about myself. I loved chapter seven as well. I hope you enjoy chapter eight.

**Kazzy103:** I am glad that seven was one of your favorite chapters! I liked it too! But this one is even better, in my opinion anyhow. Thanks for the review!

**Mysterious Jedi:** Thanks for the review! It's great to hear from someone new!

**kkori:** Thanks for the review!

**Disclaimer: **I wished I owned Teen Titans/Outsiders, if only so I could have Nightwing, heehee...

And now, without further ado, I give you the newest chapter.

**

* * *

****If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter 8: Mere Mortal**

* * *

**Alcatraz Prison**

"You realize Nightwing, that we are only extending this courtesy to you, and not any of your 'Outsiders' because you are the only one with enough clout," the head warden of the prison, a black woman named Alice Sanders said.

"And that I'm not a meta-human, who you believe should all be locked up," Nightwing amended. "Trust me, I'm not having the time of my life here," he added as they walked by a cell block. The prisoners leered at Nightwing, shouting angrily at him as he passed. "I put a lot of these criminals in this island, and it appears none of them are happy to see me."

"Well we're almost to Mammoth's cell, once you realize that what we assured you is true, that he is locked up safely, then you can go."

"Your assurance doesn't mean that much, considering you were recently housing android versions of Jinx and Mammoth while the real criminals had escaped, and Gizmo got out of here as well," Nightwing said. Alice frowned at him but chose not to respond. The sooner he was out of there, the better.

* * *

He saw Nightwing go in a while ago, and now it was time. Psimon crept to the razor wire fence that surrounded the main walls of the fortress. There were no dampeners outside of the fence. They were located a few feet in, so he would at least be able to pass through one of the barriers. With his telekinetic powers, he lifted himself up and over the fence without tripping any alarms. That was of course, supposing there were any. He had noticed that humans took considerably more effort in ensuring that no one left their prison, rather than that no one entered. 

He skulked around the side of the main wall, and finally gained a view of the entryway to the prison. The gates were locked tight, and guarded by two armed buffoons. They would not be a problem. Slade had planned ahead for everything. Reaching inside his green trench coat, he withdrew a small laser gun. Silent and deadly, he could take out the two guards without much difficulty. So, the element of surprise on his side, he leapt out of hiding and shot the two men. They fell to the ground with a dull thud. Psimon walked over to them, and removed their weapons, slipping them into his green trench coat. There were probably cameras outside of the walls, so other guards were most likely on their way. Psimon moved quickly.

Pulling out a signature Slade explosive, he placed the disk on the main wall, and stepped back as it exploded. The explosion threw the doors open, and Psimon gained quick entry.

* * *

**Outsiders Headquarters – New York City**

Arsenal stood behind Indigo in the control room. The blue robot had gained access to Alcatraz's security, and was monitoring it closely. "Just make sure you keep a close watch. If anything goes wrong…" Arsenal paused, not sure what action he could take if something happened inside of Alcatraz. "Well, I don't want Nightwing blindsided if we can help it."

"I agree Arsenal," Indigo seconded, watching the screens carefully. Arsenal sat down in a chair next to her and sighed. "Arsenal, you did say that it would be just a routine inspection…" Indigo said, turning to him quizzically about his anxiety.

"I know, and it should be. But for some reason, I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Well, if there is trouble, Nightwing knows how to – what would Grace say – kick ass," Indigo encouraged. Arsenal sighed again.

They sat in silence for a while, until security windows began flashing on Indigo's screens. "Oh crap!" Roy exclaimed.

"I believe this would be classified as something 'going wrong' Arsenal," Indigo pointed out.

"Crap!"

* * *

**Alcatraz Prison**

"Ah, here we are," Alice said, gesturing to the cell where Mammoth sat glumly. He stared between the bars at Nightwing, and allowed a feral growl to pass between his lips. "As you can see, he is indeed incarcerated." He nodded. Alice was about to ask him to leave when an explosion rocked the building. "What was that?" she demanded, glaring accusingly at Nightwing.

_"Nightwing!"_ Roy's voice called over his communicator. Nightwing quickly pulled it out.

"What's going on?" he asked as alarms began to go off around him.

_"There's been a breach in security. Someone's broken in. You have to get out of there,"_ Roy informed him. Nightwing tensed. Indigo had been keeping tabs on Alcatraz security from The Outsiders' headquarters, she must have spotted this break-in.

"Does she know who it is?" he asked. Behind him, Alice was shouting into a walkie-talkie, demanding to know what the situation was. Out of seemingly thin air, armed guards appeared. They stationed themselves all down the hallway.

_"No, but they're most likely looking to bust people out, which means you'll be in serious trouble."_

"Okay, I understand, I'm going." Nightwing switched off the communicator. He was just about to leave when an all-too-familiar red light began flashing. The building was going into lockdown mode. No one could get in, or out. And that included Nightwing.

* * *

Psimon found the first dampener just inside the gates, and used Slade's technology to counteract it. All dampeners were connected, so the disrupter he just placed could short out half of the system. The halls were swarming with guards, but they could not stop him now. He had the power to control their minds, and no pathetic human could withstand that. He walked past them, and they did not do as much as look at him. He located the other dampeners with ease, placing a disrupter on them. Soon, all of the dampeners had been disabled. He was a king now, and it was time to release the prisoners from the castle.

* * *

"Arsenal! The building is in lockdown!" Nightwing shouted to his comrade through the communicator. 

_"Dammit. We're on our way."_

Nightwing looked around, trying in vain to assess the situation. No intruder had made an appearance before him yet, and the eerie silence that descended as everyone waited was unbearable. The prisoners were all standing just before the bars, peering outward, not sure what to expect from the unexpected situation. Nightwing listened carefully for any sounds, but could not hear a thing. Suddenly everyone around Nightwing began looking around, as if searching for the source of some sort of noise. Nightwing was bewildered, not having heard anything. Then things began to become strange. The guards all walked to the cells and began unlocking the doors, releasing the prisoners incarcerated within.

"What the Hell are you doing!" Nightwing demanded of them. He grabbed one guard by the shoulders, but he just stared blankly at the vigilante.

"Nightwing, Nightwing," a deep voice greeted from behind him. He turned in horror to see a group of criminals forming a circle around him. At the front of them was Psimon, standing boldly, a devilish smile on his lips. He was the speaker. "Any hellos for an old friend?" he asked with a laugh. Nightwing instantly understood why he had not been affected by Psimon's obvious mind control, every superhero now wore dampeners to prevent intrusions into their minds. But the prison had many dampeners, so Nightwing could not figure out how Psimon was able to use his power.

"I know you must miss prison, but breaking in Psimon? That strange, even for you," Nightwing said, taking the time to formulate some sort of plan. The criminals were closing in around him, waiting excitedly for their time to strike.

"Well, I wanted to get your attention, and it seems that I have it," Psimon laughed. Mammoth stood behind Psimon, punching his fist into his hand. The other criminals moved closer, Nightwing did not even recognize half of them, but saw the glazed looks in a few of their eyes and knew Psimon was in control. "Alright boys, attack!"

Nightwing leapt into the air and flipped above their heads, bracing himself against the ceiling. He landed on both feet. The criminals raced towards him. He pulled out his twin escrima and began to fight. He attacked, defended, then attacked, injuring many of his assailants, and acquiring a few wounds himself. All the while, he kept backing up down the hallway, hoping to get out of the building. He was in too close of quarters with the criminals, and it would not be long before they overwhelmed him.

* * *

**Slade's Lair**

It was amazing that the criminals of the world allowed heroes to live. Really, why would they when it was so easy to trap one? Even now, Slade had complete control over Huntress, if he did not need her for his experiment, he could easily have rid the world of her. Made an example of her to her little superhero friends. Really, how did they continue to survive? All it took was one rogue Superman android to kill two members of the Titans. Although, Slade could sum up the continued existence of superheroes in one statement: It was fun to watch them struggle.

He stood staring at the video footage within Alcatraz of Nightwing fighting scores of convicts, and could not help but enjoy himself. It was awfully entertaining to watch. Psimon was really putting on a show for him, and he could not deny his money had been well spent.

Behind Slade, Huntress watched the footage with fear and horror. She had regained the ability to stand in the last hour, and was now clutching the bars of her prison door, her knuckles white, as she surveyed one of the parts of Slade's master plan. Nightwing was in over his head, how hard would it be to kill him now? She was not his biggest fan, but he was a colleague in the fight to save the world, and they had worked together on a number of occasions. She could not bear the idea of watching him die.

Slade turned to Huntress, a smile on his lips behind the mask as he noticed her expression. It was exactly what he wanted. "Huntress, enjoying the show?" he asked. She stared at him coldly in response. "Well, it's about to get much better. The media is on their way to Alcatraz," he laughed. "Soon everyone will be able to watch this."

* * *

**Alcatraz Prison**

Nightwing reached the blown out door, still battling a set of criminals who had found that attacking him in a crowded hallway was not exactly ideal. A trail of their comrades lay trampled on the stone floor. Still, more criminals were spilling out of every cell block, all under Psimon's command to attack Nightwing. Nightwing was still not sure whether going outside was a good thing or a bad thing, but it seemed he had little say in the matter. Therefore, at the first possible moment, he flipped himself backward and propelled onto the lawn. He leapt up onto the stone edifice and hung onto a small overhang. Suspended by one arm, he pulled his communicator out and punched in a familiar code.

"Titans! Come in!" he shouted.

_"Titans here," _Cyborg's authoritative voice responded.

"There's been a mass-breakout at Alcatraz, get the team together and get out here. We need to contain this mess!" Nightwing shouted, as he simultaneously added in his mind, _'Or at least get out of here alive.'_

Titan's Tower 

The alarms sounded throughout the tower, alerting every inhabitant that there was trouble. _"Titans! No time to waste! There's been a mass breakout at Alcatraz and Nightwing's in the middle of it, he needs back-up!" _Cyborg's voice echoed in the large structure. _"Everyone prepare for battle!"_

Upon hearing the declaration, Robin raced to his room. As the door closed behind him, he removed the normal Robin suit, reaching for his battle armor. Quickly he put on the heavier, more protective Robin costume. He filled his utility belt with every birdarang and explosive he had, and then he ran down to the garage where the others were assembling. Superboy looked apprehensive, an emotion apparently shared by Impulse. Starfire and Beast Boy looked on as Cyborg prepared the T-jet. "Let's go team," he commanded. Impulse, Robin, and Cyborg got into the jet, while Beast Boy (as a hawk), Starfire, and Superboy opted to arrive under their own flying power.

* * *

**The Outsiders' Pequod**

Arsenal drove the small Outsider's aircraft with deft precision and accuracy, even though his mind was miles away, mainly in San Francisco. He kept replaying the conversation where Nightwing had chosen to go to Alcatraz in his mind, as if trying to spot a moment where he should have suggested that more of the team went along. He was silently cursing himself for his folly.

Behind him, Shift turned on the television and switched it to a news station. _"Broadcasting live from a helicopter hovering over Alcatraz is Lisa Pelte,"_ an anchorman in the studio announced.

_"Thanks Jim. The situation here is nothing short of chaos as Alcatraz is being emptied of all of its criminals. We're talking murderers, rapists, thieves, well, the worst of the worst actually. And they are all walking free, escaping the prison in droves. Although they are not entirely unimpeded… It appears a member of the New York based 'Outsiders' who were responsible for the mass break-out of 'The Slab' is currently attempting to rectify the situation here in Alcatraz. The vigilante – Nightwing who once served under the Batman in Gotham is currently fighting an enraged group of convicts." _Lisa Pelte stepped aside to allow a view of Nightwing releasing his hold on the ledge and jumping into the middle of a gang of criminals, arms and legs beating the criminals down. There was blood on his face, and his gloves were torn over his knuckles.

* * *

**Alcatraz Prison**

One of the hundreds of convicts in orange jumpsuits suddenly grabbed Nightwing from behind. The criminal's arms locked around Nightwing's neck in a vise-like grip. He jabbed his elbow backwards but was met with a rubbery substance that resisted his attempt. The attacker was a meta-human, though he did not know him. Nightwing fought against his foe, feeling the pressure on his windpipe increase. The other villains were still coming at him, and got many blows in as he struggled. He silently thanked whoever first used body armor on a superhero uniform when one particularly buff villain punched him directly in the chest with a fist that could easily have broken a rib. Not that he was feeling particularly lucky at the moment.

He was running out of air, and he still had no way to get the rubbery man off of him. Finally, he heard a familiar noise like a laser being shot off, and briefly saw a bright flash of green light before he was let loose. Gasping, he turned and gave a short wave to his savior before engaging the next few criminals in a fight.

* * *

**Pequod**

Even from the camera's view above the scene, the Outsiders could tell that Nightwing was getting desperate, he could not hold them all off for long. Someone was currently choking Nightwing from behind. "Damn…" Grace muttered under her breath, turning towards the windshield and away from the TV.

"Where are those damn Titans?" Arsenal demanded, sparing a glance at the television.

"Woah, what was that green light?" Shift asked as a sudden green blast threw a criminal off of Nightwing.

"I believe she is a member of the Titans, an alien from the planet Tamaran named Starfire," Indigo said.

"Thank God," Arsenal whispered, his attention back at the sky before him.

* * *

**Alcatraz**

Starfire levitated above the criminals, picking them off one by one with her starbolts. Her body was enflamed with fury, and her power increased from it. She wished she could have gotten a chance to ask Nightwing why all of the criminals were attacking him rather than fleeing. It was true that he had many enemies, but this was really ridiculous.

* * *

Beast Boy swooped onto the ground and then turned into a tiger, pouncing on the escaping convicts. They were coming at him in swarms, and it was all he could do to continue to keep them at bay.

* * *

Superboy stayed above the crowds. He gazed at the criminals, careful to stay away from Starfire lest one of her attacks go awry. He concentrated, wishing he had become more accustomed at using his heat vision. Normally he would have just raced in there and started kicking some ass, but for some reason he hung back. Tim kept telling him he was too quick to act…. However, when he could not get the heat vision to work, he just dove down and starting punching.

* * *

The T-Jet did not have a chance of landing. There were criminals everywhere, the grass was covered with them. The prison grounds were in complete chaos as the criminals waited their turn for a shot at Nightwing, or began to battle the other heroes who had arrived. As they circled the island in the air for the third time, Robin slid the door open. "Gonna jump?" Cyborg asked sarcastically. 

"Yeah," Robin responded. And before anyone could protest, he leapt out of the jet. He shot a grappling hook out, and sighed with relief when it embedded itself in the prison wall. He held tightly to the jump cord, and then let go of it right before he would have hit the concrete. He stood and faced a group of leering criminals. He reached into his belt for some explosives. He tossed the first bomb into the crowd, and then jumped out of the way, his cape held protectively in front of him.

* * *

Cyborg managed to park the jet on the far side of the prison. He and Impulse hurried out. Impulse shot off at super speed to reach the battle. He ran through the sea of orange, shoving criminals into each other, and knocking others over.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cyborg joined the fray, bashing heads and attempting to knock the criminals unconscious. His computer components scanned the area for Nightwing's signal. When he located it, he headed in that general direction. It was too dangerous to use a communicator, so he would just have to position himself close enough to the ex-acrobat in order to ask him a question.

* * *

Psimon stood off to the side, watching the fight with interest. Smoke rose over the melee every once in a while, becoming a vague map of Robin's movements. The boy was on his way to his mentor, and he was not wasting time. The arrival of the Titans was all part of Slade's plan of course, which meant it was almost time for the grand finale. He cast his mind about in his little servants' heads, searching for signs of the ones who would continue to fight once freed of mind control. Those he freed from his powers, the others who only wanted to escape, he kept careful control over. The time was drawing near, and he could barely wait. 

'_Mammoth!' _he telepathed to the large man.

'_Psimon?' _he thought, Psimon picked up on it through the connection he made into Mammoth's mind.

'_It's nearly time, get over to Nightwing. It's time to teach both of the birds an important lesson.' _Psimon did not bother to wait for Mammoth's response, but headed toward Nightwing himself. If he was not already a part of this plan, he would not have missed it anyway.

* * *

Nightwing's breaths were coming in ragged gasps. His muscles were burning from the exertion of fighting off the ever-increasing number of criminals. His knuckles were bleeding, and his grip on the escrima kept slipping. He was relatively unscathed, save the large cut on his forehead and some bruises. Of course, he also knew that was only because his attackers' minds were under Psimon's control, and he could not guide all of their movements. He could only tell them to attack, and they would not even fight as they would have under normal circumstances. This was the only thing saving him, and it was about to be gone. 

Nightwing tossed a few exploding black birdarangs into the crowds, turning his face away from the explosions. The villains had once again formed a circle around him, and he was forced to perform many moves that including spinning around and using other villains as weapons. He had fought plenty of gangs before, but this was by far the most difficult. He began to consider that maybe it was time to retreat – he would need help to get out – when suddenly a dark shadow came over him. He looked up and came face to chest with Mammoth whose eyes were definitely not glazed. At the same time, half of the criminals around him seemed to regain control of their bodies. Some of them were metahumans who began warming up their powers, and others just seemed more on top of the situation. Nightwing stood still, and silence seemed to descend around him. Now he was just waiting for the end to begin.

* * *

Cyborg fought his way towards Nightwing, hoping the seasoned leader would have some sort of plan. However, suddenly the convicts who had been fighting their way towards Nightwing, and attacking anyone who came by, had changed their course. Now, they were working to push Cyborg in the opposite direction. He could barely see his old comrade as the wave of orange shoved him backwards. He was stuck. He could not fire his cannon because everyone was in too close of quarters, and he had no idea where the other Titans had gone. "Knock it off!" he yelled as a criminal shoved him hard. He had no hopes of reaching Nightwing now. The crowds were too much.

* * *

Robinlooked up as an explosion lit the sky. "About damn time," he muttered, setting off his own. He was getting closer to Nightwing, he had known that, it was only a matter of exact location. Nightwing's bomb alerted him to where his friend/mentor was. As he headed in that direction though, the criminals seem to almost part. While his ego wanted him to believe that it was because they did not want to engage him in battle, his common sense told him that something was amiss.

* * *

From where she floated above the fight, she was stunned to see the sudden turn of events. Where the convicts had been originally all gunning for Nightwing, pushing each other in their attempts to get to him, they suddenly changed their direction. A core group had formed around Nightwing, and the others were focusing on preventing the heroes from reaching him. What exactly were they planning here? Their behavior seemed linked to some sort of mind control, or at least a central telepath giving orders. 

She searched the crowds for signs of any known telepath, and then finally spotted him.

Psimon.

He was heading for Nightwing, and moving fast. She was about to pursue him from the air when a young, male, metahuman levitated up in front of her. He stared at her with dark green eyes, and then moved into a fighting stance. She was surprised, and had to remind herself that she did not know of every metahuman criminal. Then she engaged the new foe in air combat.

* * *

Superboy had been backed to the edge of the island. Not waiting for one of the men and women in orange jumpsuits to push him into the San Francisco Bay, he jumped into the air, hovering over the scene. He pulled his communicator out and punched in the all-Titans code. 

"What exactly are we supposed to be doing here?" Superboy called into it. "The criminals seem like they've effectively conquered the island."

_"Are you flying?"_ Cyborg's voice asked.

"Yeah."

_"Can you spot Nightwing from where you are?"_

"Yeah. He's completely surrounded by convicts though. He's fighting them one on one now. Oh, and it looks like Robin is on his way." Robin had stopped blowing up his mini bombs and birdarangs as the crowds were no longer attacking him. He looked anxious, but continued on towards Nightwing all the same.

"_Robin's not being pushed back by the crowd?"_ Cyborg demanded, confused as to why that would be.

"Nope, they're pretty much letting him pass," Superboy responded, sharing in Cyborg's uncertainty.

"_Damn, what's that all about? Keep watching Superboy."_ Superboy did as he was told, staring down at the scene.

He heard a whoosh of wings and turned slightly to see a green falcon fly over to him. The falcon landed on his shoulder and turned into a harassed looking butterfly whose wings dropped forward. "Tired?" Superboy asked, letting only a part of his amusement leech into his voice.

"Yeah, there has got to be hundreds of those dudes out there," the green butterfly sighed. "I've fought gangs of villains before, but jeeze…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. They were about to dump me in the bay though. A lot of them were metas too; I was hit by all sorts of stuff. I swear there was some sort of wind manipulator in there, and definitely a witch somewhere," Superboy sighed. "Still, shouldn't we be, you know, helping?" he asked.

"It's not worth getting killed over," Beast Boy responded, knowing full well that letting these villains escape could cost hundreds of lives. He glanced sideways and spotted a news helicopter hovering. "Great, now everyone gets to see us retreat," BB sighed.

"But what about Nightwing, should we go down and help or something?" Superboy asked. The butterfly lifted off of Superboy's shoulder, and then transformed into the green falcon again. He stared into the crowds at the dark-clad superhero.

"I'll go see if there's a way for us to help," Beast Boy said, obviously letting Superboy know that he was not to move without permission. Superboy sighed, and began looking down again when two bodies flew past him, clutching each other and fighting. He raised his eyebrows and then turned towards the commotion, intent on getting in on some of the action.

* * *

Impulse was running like mad, but it was not getting him anywhere. Other than leaving a group of dazed criminals in his wake, his efforts seemed wasted. What exactly was he supposed to be doing? It's not as if there was a real prison to escort any of the criminals to anyway. He heard Superboy's voice shout over the communicator and silently Impulse wished he could fly. He just wanted to get out of the fray and back to the Tower. 

An explosion filled the air with an ear-deafening bang. Impulse turned to the direction of the commotion. However, he was unable to see what was happening. All he knew was that it could not be good. Robin had stopped setting off explosives a while ago; he was probably almost out too. But was that even Robin's bomb? And what was going on that demanded explosives now?

* * *

A ring formed around him; a nearly impenetrable wall of flesh and bone, and whatever that metallic looking metahuman was made out of. Nightwing stood unsteadily. His muscles were burning, and he could barely breathe having taken so many punches to his stomach. He was winded, and completely unprepared to fight the crowd. He had blown off an explosive earlier to alert the others to his location. However, he forgot that the others would not know that the particular bomb he had let loose was actually a call for help, and for a retreat. He had forgotten that none of them were in the last incarnation of the Titans. He also lamented over not wearing his earpiece headset to the prison. There was no time to retrieve his other communicator, and without it, no way to contact any of the Titans. And he was down to his last reserves of energy. 

The criminals were now playing with him, stepping up one by one to fight him. He easily took down the first, a small, bald man who would never stand a chance against Nightwing. Nightwing was dully aware of the sound of cracking bone when he brought his escrima onto the man's skull. At this point, he did not care how many skulls he broke open, as long as got out of there. The next was another lean, non-muscular man. Really, what was going on? With all of the muscle men and powerhouses surrounding him they were just standing back for the skinny, weak ones to get their shots in? He never knew any criminal to behave that way. Something was going on. He brought down the second one, and then the third, and the fourth, and then he realized what was happening.

They were tiring him out, well, more than he was already. His black hair clung to his moist scalp, and sweat poured over his mask. The strongest of the villains present were now stepping forward. Mammoth came out of the crowd and stood just before Nightwing, his large hands bent into fists, his eyes filled with fury.

At the back of the ring stood Psimon, telekinetic powers ready to provide a block against interference. The last part of the plan was finally unraveling just as Slade had planned.

* * *

**Slade's Hideout**

Slade stood, hands crossed behind his back, watching the news coverage of the convicts' escape from Alcatraz. He knew that almost every hero in the country was watching as well, and that was exactly what he wanted. No other evil genius had thought up such a plan before. And Slade wanted his credit where it was due. Unfortunately, that would have to wait.

"Why are you doing this!" Huntress demanded, pulling at the bars that trapped her. Her long black hair was disheveled, hanging in front of her face, and pulling at the tips of her purple mask. She looked as if she did not know whether to cry or scream. Being Huntress, she would, of course, choose the latter.

"Other than the obvious reason: That I can?" Slade questioned, the smirk the mask concealed evident in his one visible eye.

"You're a coward! A damn, f-ing coward! If you want him dead, then kill him yourself you bastard!" she screamed, rattling the bars again. "What, are you afraid! You're afraid to take on your enemy! So you let your little pawns do it instead? What's the matter, Sladey, don't you have the balls to get your hands dirty?" she added in a condescending tone, partially regaining control of herself.

Slade merely smiled behind the mask, she certainly was feisty. Also, she was displaying the sort of anger and fear that he hoped was shared throughout the hero community today. Perfect, just perfect. Having Huntress witness this was very entertaining for Slade.

* * *

**Alcatraz Prison**

Robin could barely see him - a lone figure standing within a circle of villains. Nightwing looked so small against the massiveness of Mammoth and the six-foot plus crowd around him. The group seemed about to bum rush him, and from what he could tell by Nightwing's exhausted stance, he might not survive that.

Not wasting a moment, Robin reached for one of the two bombs he had left, and threw it into the crowd. It exploded right over the metallic metahuman, and his pause allowed Robin an in. He raced over and stood back to back with Nightwing.

"You okay?" he asked, holding his bo staff out in front of him as the villains cracked smiles at seeing another opponent appear.

"Yeah, you?" Nightwing asked. No matter what he said, he could not convince Robin that he was doing just fine – even his voice was tired. There were tears on his uniform from the continued fighting, and his knuckles were bleeding freely now.

"This must be two for one night, both birds walking up to the executioners," a large criminal laughed.

"Yeah, I guess we'll just have to kill two birds with one stone," another echoed, his hands morphing into rock.

"The stupid black and blue bird is mine," Mammoth said, pointing a large finger at Nightwing who simply sneered.

Then there was a momentary pause, the time in which both sides seemed to appraise each other before the inevitable fight. Robin took in a deep breath, carefully placing his stance. Nightwing caught his breath. He dropped the escrima and pulled out his bo staff. At that moment, the first blow of the battle was made.

Mammoth pulled his fist back and launched it at Nightwing's head. He ducked and shoved Mammoth's arm upwards with his bo staff, ensuring that the fist did not make contact with Robin by mistake. Seeing Mammoth's action, the other criminals began to attack as well.

Robin was doing a fine job taking down the slower, bigger villains. He spun his bo staff with precision and aimed at all of the right places – the neck, the stomach, behind the knees. He kept a careful eye on Nightwing throughout, watching him struggle with Mammoth.

The stone-morpher raced at Robin, arms out in front of him, apparently intending to knock him down. Robin caught his bo staff on the side of the man's arm and flipped to the side, pulling him down with his own weight. He was about to whip the staff into the man's face when he felt arms close around his neck. The first criminal to mock him was now attempting to crush his windpipe and break his neck. Robin chocked, and the stone criminal took the opportunity to deliver a blow to his stomach, knocking what little air was in his lungs right back out. Robin gasped for breath, but none came. He tried to deliver a blow with his elbows, but the man kept dodging his attempts. Nightwing was too busy with Mammoth to help. Soon, a third villain was assisting in Robin's torment, hitting Robin's chest with one of the escrima that Nightwing dropped. Robin heard a satisfying crack coupled with a blast of pain, and knew that one of his ribs had just been broken. Robin reached to his utility belt as the powerhouse aimed another blow at a second rib. He pulled out a birdarang, and in one quick motion, stabbed it into the face of the man choking him. He heard a strange suction-like noise, and, with a jolt, realized that he had just stabbed the man's eye. The man released him immediately, and he fell to the ground, choking and gasping. He was on his hands and knees attempting to catch his breath when the criminal with the escrima came upon him. Before Robin could react, he was bringing the weapon down on the back of Robin's neck. However, the blow never came. Instead, one black boot covered foot knocked the man a solid four feet away from where he had been. Robin murmured a grateful 'thank you' to Nightwing and then stood to continue.

* * *

Beast Boy nearly fell out of the sky when he saw the man about to take out Robin's neck with Nightwing's weapon. He sighed with relief when Nightwing knocked the man away. The two heroes were back to back again, a stone criminal facing Robin, and Mammoth squaring off against Nightwing. He swooped down to join the battle, but was stopped by an invisible force field. He tried to force his way through it, but to no avail. 

At the same time, Starfire knocked her attacker out of the sky and into the bay. Then she dove down to help the two Gotham vigilantes, but was also stopped by the barrier. "What is this!" she demanded of Beast Boy as her starbolts were reflected back at her.

_'Forgotten me so soon? I'm offended,'_ Psimon's voice spoke directly into their minds, imparting with it the image of the triumphant grin on his face. _'I formed a little cage for the birds to fight in, cozy, isn't it?'_

"Damn him," Beast Boy muttered. The two swooped around to the other side from above, looking for some way to attack Psimon.

* * *

"All right Robin, last round," Nightwing whispered, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Robin nodded from behind him, oblivious to Beast Boy and Starfire's attempts to reach them. 

However, the method of attack suddenly changed. Robin's foe moved along the circle, and Robin followed him until he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Nightwing, the two criminal powerhouses side by side.

"Switch!" Mammoth called out. What happened next was so quick that no one realized what happened until it was too late. Mammoth pulled his arm back to swing a super strong punch into Robin's face. Robin stood frozen, eyes wide with horror as he waited for the blow to land. However, Nightwing moved swiftly to his left, body-slamming Robin and knocking him sideways into the grass. Mammoth's fist landed squarely in Nightwing's face, and the battered vigilante swayed where he stood, blood pouring out his nose. Robin looked up, calling Nightwing's name.

However, the criminals suddenly had no interest in the younger member of the pair. They formed a tight circle around Nightwing, shoving the dazed man between them. Robin leapt to his feet, and was about to assist when the criminals all made the same move. A group of five powerhouses launched themselves at Nightwing, knocking him to the ground beneath them. They pounded on him again and again, vicious assaults. Robin could no longer see his friend. However, he did see the pool of blood forming beneath their feet. Robin pushed blindly towards the crowd, but was tossed back by the surrounding convicts.

"No!" Robin screamed. "NIGHTWING! NIGHTWING!" The blood spread, and Robin shouted until his voice was hoarse. "NIGHTWING! NO!"

* * *

**A/N: **All right, my heart is pounding, how about yours? Wow, that was extremely nerve wracking even to write, and I knew what was going to happen, I can't imagine what it's like to read it...

So yes, let me know what you think about this chapter, particularly the ending.

Catching my breath,

_Sarah Shima_


	9. Mere Mortal Part II

**A/N: **All right Alex, I lied. I said no more updates until both of my RW stories got some TLC (and no I don't mean the '90's pop group), yet I only updated one, and then here I am with another new chapter of "If At First You Don't Succeed." It's an obsession, an illness, an attachment, whatever you like. However, I would like to wrap this up before school starts, so I will do my best to continue with speedy (hehe, pun intended?) updates.

My sister began drawing out the comic I scripted, and it's looking cool. Luckily enough, she's drawing slow enough for me to have time to figure out what happens in the rest of the issue...

I heard from another fanfic author that we can no longer respond to reviews in the story. However, I could not find where said that, so, until they breathe down my neck about it:

**PhoenixClaw: **Thank you to one of my favorite reviewers. I'm glad you got the imagery that vividly, it was really what I was shooting for. Keep reading!

**Kazzy103: **I'm very glad that you enjoyed the last chapter so much. It took a lot of work, and I can see that it paid off. You'll be seeing more of Huntress and Slade's plans as the plot continues. Thanks for the review.

**Kaori Kaida: **Glad to see a new reviewer! I'm happy you liked this so much, and I hope you continue to enjoy. The Robins are my favorites as well. Keep reading!

**Alexnandru Van Gordon:** So, we call off a deal and then make a new one? Or was it a threat? Hmm, I guess it's fair though. So here you are, another chapter uploaded before the week was over. Oh, and I was reading old chapters of your story, while lamenting thatthere were no new chapters, and saw a comment you made about not writing Slade vs. Robin fanfiction anymore - surely you jest.Those are awesome, and theytruly never get old. Anyway, time to read a new IAFYDS chapter,enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **Last time I checked, all I owned of worth was this computer and mini hard drive. Wow, that sounds pathetic...

**

* * *

**

**If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter 9: Mere Mortal Part II**

* * *

In times of stress, people often show strengths they had previously not been in command of. There are old woman who lift whole pick-up trucks to free trapped children, people who run unnaturally fast from an oncoming bullet, and those who escape from impossible situations. This is all linked to one chemical: adrenaline. And Robin's body was certainly coursing with adrenaline now.

He was not aware of the change in his demeanor, or his actions. He did not notice how he easily pushed the criminals away from him. He did not see himself tossing sharp birdarangs without a care for where they landed, other than at his targets. He did not notice that he set off a bomb too closely. He did not feel the shrapnel strike his side, or the various wounds the criminals inflicted upon him, did not feel his ribs crack. He did not hear the calls of his friends and mentors. All that mattered was Nightwing; Nightwing lying in a pool of his own blood, Nightwing bloodied and beaten; Nightwing – alive or dead. His mind felt fuzzy, and his head was pounding. His breathing was erratic, his heart beating fast and heavy in his chest.

The meta-humans around Nightwing stepped back, smiles adorning their wicked faces. They were pleased with what they had done. And Robin finally saw him.

Nightwing was lying facedown on the red-stained grass. His dark hair was soaked with blood, creating an eerie shine. His body was covered with wounds which bled freely, adding to the crimson stains that were spreading from his defeated form. He lay perfectly still – too still.

Robin raced to Nightwing's side, his heart pounding so loudly that he could not hear anything else. He put his hands on Nightwing's back, but was suddenly unsure as to whether he should move him or not. From his angle he could not tell if Nightwing's heart was beating, or if he was breathing. All of the lessons Batman had taught him on assisting the wounded suddenly flew from his mind, leaving him with a complete blank. He did not know what to do.

* * *

**Pequod – Moment's earlier**

The six members of the Outsiders all stared at the newsreel. The situation at Alcatraz was becoming more intense, and they were still miles away. The news helicopter and camera crew provided footage of Nightwing and Robin, back to back, surrounded by a crowd of hardened criminals. They watched uselessly as Robin was choked, and then sighed with relief when he freed himself, and when Nightwing saved him. Their eyes stayed focused on the screen as the two vigilantes stood beside each other, and before two meta-human powerhouses. Thunder gasped out loud as Mammoth delivered the blow to Nightwing's face.

Then, everyone stopped breathing. Their expressions were a mixture of fury and horror as Nightwing was overtaken by the criminals, and Robin fought to reach him, screaming all the while. "Oh my God, oh my God," Thunder chanted, her hands gripping her face. "He's going to die! Oh my God!" Thunder said.

Arsenal was frozen, hands locked on the Pequod's steering mechanism, eyes glued to the television set, as the criminals pounded on his best friend. All the while, the same thoughts continued to roll through his mind, _'Wasn't losing Donna enough? Dick can't be killed, he can't die! No, he won't! He won't! I won't lose anyone else!'

* * *

_

**Alcatraz - Now**

Psimon watched the boy struggle with his thoughts, watched as he tried to decide what to do. It was quite humorous. On the outside of his telekinetic shield, Starfire and Beast Boy were still frantically attempting entry. Psimon laughed, and turned to walk away. His job was done.

* * *

Psimon walked away casually, and then disappeared into the crowd. A moment later, the telekinetic shield dissipated.

Robin was kneeling beside Nightwing, his gloved hands tensed over Nightwing's back. He had been there for only a moment, and his frozen reaction was merely a hesitation. He did not want to know anything that could hurt Nightwing any more than he was – if he was still alive. Robin kept shoving the thought out of his head, but it was possible. However, he was granted reprieve from the problem, when Starfire jumped down onto Nightwing's other side. She grabbed hold of Nightwing and flew into the air with him. She held him awkwardly, and Robin barely managed to see her as she flew towards the Tower.

_'Titans! Retreat!' _Cyborg's voice shouted through the communicators. _'Superboy, make sure Robin gets back to the Tower! BB, come help me! Impulse, you can run on water, right? All right Titans, move!'_

Robin was still frozen, his hands hovering in the air over where Nightwing had lain just moments before. Cyborg's words barely registered in his mind. The criminals were all looking for ways to escape now, no longer preoccupied with fighting. And so the last of Robin's energy faded, and he collapsed forward. Hands on the ground propping him up, he stared at the grass, attempting to clear his mind. But he could not. He could think, or hear, or feel. All he could do was see, and all he saw was _red_.

He was dimly aware of Superboy flying down and landing next to him. Superboy spoke to him, but everything was in a haze to Robin, and the words did not register in his mind. Superboy gripped Robin, hands on either side of Robin's chest. Superboy lifted his dazed friend into the air, and hurried away to Titan's Tower.

* * *

**Titan's Tower**

Cyborg arrived at the Tower just after Starfire, courtesy of Beast Boy, who allowed the mechanical man to ride on top of his large bird form. The remaining blood in Cyborg's human parts had run cold when Superboy relayed to him the results of the fight between Nightwing, Robin, and the metahuman powerhouses. Upon entering the Tower, Cyborg raced into the medical bay as quickly as he could to meet up with Starfire.

He threw the door open as soon as he arrived. "Star is he –?" Cyborg stopped short as he viewed the interior of the medical bay. Nightwing was lying on a med table in the emergency area, coated in blood. Cyborg's eye widened at the sight. "Is he… is he…" Cyborg stuttered.

"He's alive," Starfire announced, her green eyes brimming with tears. "But just barely. Help him!" Cyborg rushed to Nightwing's side, just as the communicator in the Tower beeped with an incoming call.

"What's –?" Cyborg began.

"Titan's Tower communicator, it's probably the Justice League, they've been calling ever since I got back," Starfire explained. Then they heard a loud humming noise from above that announced the arrival of visitors.

* * *

Superboy, his arm wrapped around Robin's back, while Robin's own arm hung loosely over Superboy's shoulder, flew to the Tower. Below them, Impulse sped across the glassy surface of San Francisco Bay. Superboy saw the Pequod flying dangerously fast toward the Tower, but Robin was oblivious.

When Superboy landed on the rocks that surrounded the outer rim of the island, Robin seemed to come out of his dazed condition. He pushed Superboy off of him, and ran as fast as he could to the Tower. Superboy and Impulse were not far behind.

* * *

**Minutes Later**

The Outsiders rushed through the hallway towards the medical bay. They stayed behind Roy as he led the way, anger and fear raging within him. As they neared, they spotted three figures on the floor, leaning up against the wall.

As the Outsiders made their presence known, one of the people jumped to his feet. The black cape revealed him as Robin. "Tim!" Roy shouted. "How's Dick?" he asked quickly. Tim's cape was hanging in front of him like a cloak. The only part of his costume that was visible was covered in Nightwing's blood.

"He's alive," Tim responded, his voice sounding strange. His eyes were red, and his stance weak. "Victor and Gar are in there with him now," Tim added, pointing to the medical bay. "They told us to wait out here," he added.

Roy suddenly looked angry, and no one knew why. Without a word to the others, he pushed his way into the medical bay. There were a few moments of silence, and then the two teams heard Roy shouting.

"Victor, we need to move Dick to S.T.A.R!"

"He's in no condition to be moved Roy! It was bad enough that Star flew him here!"

"She shouldn't have brought him here in the first place, he should have gone to San Francisco General!" Roy yelled.

"Well, he's here now, and he's not going to be moved, so just get out of my way!" Victor shouted back.

"I want a _real_ doctor here Victor. This… this is _Dick_ we're talking about. I want a real doctor here." Roy's voice faltered. Something in his voice was _pleading_, and it frightened Titans and Outsiders alike. Roy was _scared_.

"Fine Roy, call Sarah if you want, but right now get your ass out of here! I need room to work if I'm going to help him," Victor yelled. "Why don't you make yourself useful? Go man the coms, as half the JLA has already called to find out if their golden boy is dead yet."

Roy muttered something under his breath that the Titan's barely caught, and it sounded strangely like "bastard." Then he slammed the medical lab's door open and stalked into the hall.

He looked ten years older, and his skin was ghostly white. As he stormed down the hallway, all eyes turned towards him.

"Roy…" Grace said, reaching out to touch him. He shrugged away from her. Without a word he continued down the hall, and then turned a corner. He was gone. "Where's he going?" Grace asked.

"Control Room. Kory's in there taking calls," Bart responded.

"Must be quite a job. Everyone will have seen the news by now," Jade sighed. As she spoke, Garfield entered the hallway. The crowd looked up expectantly.

"Victor wanted me to get you, Indigo," Gar explained. "He could use some help," he added. The blue robot nodded in acquiescence and followed the green man into the lab.

Tim watched them pass through blurred eyes. His whole body was shaking, and he was only beginning to feel the burning in his abdomen from the broken ribs. He stared at the closed doors as if his life – or Dick's rather – depended on it. Shift and Jade noticed this, and so broke off from the Outsiders and sat on either side of him.

"Hey, you doing okay, kid?" Shift asked kindly.

"I just…" Tim began, but his throat was constricted and he could not get another word out.

"You're worried?" Jade submitted, her legs folded in front of her. Tim nodded. "We all are," she sighed. "But he'll be okay," she added.

"You don't know that," Tim responded blandly. "You… you didn't see him… after…" A lump formed in Tim's throat and he let his sentence hang.

Jade looked at him sympathetically, it was all she could do really.

Shift however, recognized the self-loathing and guilt that Tim was feeling. "Kid, you did all you could to help," he said.

"But it wasn't enough, it's never enough," he said through his teeth, echoing the similar words that Cassie spoke so long ago.

A moment later, they heard the sounds of a descending helicopter above them. This was followed by footsteps. Then, Dr. Sarah Charles from S.T.A.R. labs, a severe-looking, dark-haired woman, accompanied by two men heaving large bags, raced down the hallway. She did not pause for an instant, but quickly entered the medical bay.

* * *

**Slade's Hideout**

"You've been awfully quiet," Slade remarked turning to face Huntress. She was sitting on the floor of her prison, staring between the bars at her captor. "No more epithets to scream at me?" he asked.

"I just want to know why you're doing this," she responded, arms crossed.

"I'm not going to tell you that," he answered coolly.

"Fine, then tell me what the hell this thing on my neck is!" she shouted, long fingers rubbing furiously against the little metal device.

"Ah, see you're helping this process greatly already. I wondered if the design was too large, and if it could easily be spotted, and I suppose I have my answer. I will have to make it smaller if I want it to go undetected."

"WHAT DOES THIS THING DO!" she shouted, rattling the bars.

"You can just wait and see," Slade remarked. He struck a button the keyboard before him and brought up a new screen. It was a surveillance camera of the outside of Titan's Tower.

"Why are you watching them?" she asked. Slade did not respond.

* * *

**Titan's Tower**

It had been thirty minutes, and still no word; thirty agonizing minutes, and nothing. The Titans and Outsiders sat in the hallway in silence, waiting, just waiting. Finally, Shift could not take the painful silence anymore. "Maybe we should watch the news, see if they caught any of the criminals who escaped," he suggested.

"We might as well. It's clear we won't know anything about Nightwing for a while," Grace responded. "So, where's there a TV in this place?" she asked.

"Main Room, this way," Conner said, relieved to have something to do other than wait. He led the others out of the hallway.

As they filed into the Main Room, Bart stared oddly at Tim, wanting more than ever to apologize to him. Conner switched the TV onto the news station.

"This is footage that was shot earlier during the mass breakout from Alcatraz. Seen here, the Gotham-originated vigilante, Nightwing is brutally assaulted by a group of convicts. The other heroes present are San Francisco's 'Teen Titans.' Our news team was unable to reach the Titans for comment, and there is so far no word on Nightwing's condition, or it he survived the attack at all. Also, only a handful of the escaped convicts have been arrested. I'm Lisa Pelte, reporting from Alcatraz."

Tim stared at the screen, at the image of himself struggling against the crowds, and the group of metas attacking Nightwing. He suddenly felt as if he was being suffocated. He stood up abruptly, and everyone stared at him. He was on his way out of the room when Conner grasped his arm to stop him. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"To the roof. I just need to get out of here," Tim responded. He could not breath.

"I'll go with you," Conner offered.

"No!" Tim said, a little harsher than he meant to. "Just let me know if anything…"

"Sure."

* * *

**Titan's Tower - Roof**

When he reached the roof, Dr. Charles' helicopter had already left. She had not asked them to stick around.

Tim sucked in the air around him in long, steady breaths. However, it hurt to breathe. He sat down on the edge of the roof, and as he did so, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He pushed his cape off of his shoulders, and looked down. What he saw made him gasp. The right side of his suit was covered in fresh blood. He pulled his gauntlets off, and then gently touched his side, and winced, bringing his hands back bloody. He touched the wound again, and felt something metal and hard jammed into him. He attempted to pry it out, but it only made him bite the inside of his mouth in pain. "How did I…" he began aloud, but then remembered. _'It must have been shrapnel from that bomb I set off,' _he concluded. He then moved his hands to the pain in his abdomen. He would have to remove the body armor to be sure, but he assumed that he must have cracked a few ribs, he already knew that one was broken.

_"You should have someone take a look at those injuries,"_ a male voice suddenly said. Tim spun around, but no one was on the roof. He stood with some difficulty, and looked across the large roof which was completely deserted.

"Who said that?" he called out. Then his eyes fell on a small black disk. He kneeled beside it, and lifted it. He instantly saw the small lens on the front that was no doubt transmitting his image to whoever was on the other end. "Who are you?" Robin demanded.

_"A friend,"_ the voice replied.

"Okay 'friend' do you have a name?" Tim asked harshly.

_"Not right now. Really though, you should take care of your wounds. Wouldn't want you getting sick now, would we?"_ The man's voice was very smooth and deep, and Tim could not shake the feeling that he had heard it once before.

"Why do you care?"

_"After seeing the news today, with Nightwing beaten, heroes can't be too careful about their health. Criminals will be becoming more ambitious now that they have seen how easily one of the best superheroes fell."_

"I wouldn't exactly call what happened today 'easy'," Tim responded.

_"Well, I wouldn't know, not having been there myself. However, there is a question I've been wanting to ask you: How does it feel when someone supposedly stronger, and more advanced than yourself is defeated right before your eyes? How safe do you think you are? You are a target Robin, and if Nightwing can be defeated, then so can you."_

"Who the Hell are you!" Robin demanded. "What do you want!" He shook the device in anger, and was about to shout again when it suddenly burst into flames. He dropped the fire-swathed technology quickly, but was unable to avoid burning his bare, right hand.

He shouted epithets at the top of his lungs as he held the charred limb out away from the rest of his body. At the same time, Conner appeared on the roof, face flushed with excitement.

"Tim! Good news!" he began, but then stopped abruptly when he saw the state his friend was in.

* * *

**Slade's Hideout**

The master villain chuckled to himself as he watched his camera explode in Robin's bare hand. The screen went dead, and so he turned again to the lone company he had in his darkened hideout.

"What the Hell did you do that for?" Huntress asked, though not with the usual intensity with which she addressed villains. She was standing again, and leaning casually against the bars of her cell.

"Just having a bit of fun Huntress, there's no rule against that," Slade responded.

"Lovely," she responded.

"Now that I'm done with Robin for the moment, I think it's time to see how my device is working," Slade smiled behind the mask as he approached Huntress. He grabbed a syringe off of a nearby table, filling it with clear liquid. "Now hold still Huntress, this won't hurt a bit – I think."

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Roof**

"Tim, what…?" Conner asked in reference to Tim's cursing. Tim stood, burying his injured hand in his cape. However, he was not quick enough to cover his chest with the cape, and Conner saw the rips and bloodstains on the costume. "Are you hurt?" he asked. "Did something happen while you were up here?"

Tim looked back down at the place where the camera had lain only moments before. Now however, it was a worthless pile of ash. The wind danced through it, scattering the debris. Tim hung his head and decided against sharing the strange conversation he had with the mysterious voice. "I'm fine," Tim said, pulling his cape in front of him like a cloak. "You said you had good news?"

"Oh, yeah. Vic and Dr. Charles came out. They said Nightwing's going to be just fine."

Even with the mask on, it was impossible to miss the expression of relief that crossed Tim's face. "Great," he said simply, rushing past Conner and bounding down the stairs.

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Medical Bay**

Tim stood beside Roy in the medical bay's monitoring area. The pair stared through the glass before them at their friend. Dick was covered in bandages, and hooked up to various machines. It was impossible to see his face, what with the ventilator tube in his mouth, and the gauze and tape around his broken nose. Not to mention the various cuts which the white cottony cloth covered. A heart monitor was clipped to the index finger on his heavily bandaged right hand. An IV connected to his arm as well.

As Tim stared, an odd mixture of emotions flowed through him: happiness that Dick was going to recover, guilt that he had been unable to help him, anger that someone had hurt him that badly, sorrow that his friend was in such a condition, and of course, a bubbling sense of relief that the waiting was over. Tim was unaware however, that similar feelings were coursing through Roy at the same moment.

Dick was Roy's closest friend, and the two had always tried to watch the others' back. Being two normal humans amongst metas, aliens, and amazons, the pair naturally associated with each other. After all of the turmoil of losing Donna, their lives had begun to settle back down again, and then suddenly Dick was almost killed. It seemed impossible to Roy that it had even happened. He still wondered why the criminals had attacked Dick rather than escape. And at the same time, he was kicking himself for not accompanying Dick to Alcatraz in the first place. However, he was greatly relieved when Dr. Charles announced that Dick would most likely make a full recovery, and that none of his injuries were serious enough to force him to put down the escrima and birdarangs for good.

He was also relieved that he would actually have something positive to say in response to all of the coms he received earlier. It had been Oracle that raised the awareness of the situation at Alcatraz to the JLA. She apparently was working on research about Huntress' whereabouts with the news on in the background, and had witnessed the live footage. She got in contact with the JLA, and the ex-Titans who were no longer fighting. Then the barrage of calls had reached Titan's Tower. Angry and scared superheroes had demanded to know what happened, and if Nightwing would survive. All Roy could do was tell them that Nightwing was alive, and it would be a while before they knew anything definite. "At this point, no news is good news," he heard himself say to countless heroes – not that he remembered much about what he said or did. He was much too preoccupied at the time.

Roy looked down on Tim, remembering that Jade said he was feeling guilty over what happened. He reached down and gently mussed Tim's hair. "It's a relief isn't it, knowing he'll be okay?" Roy said. Tim nodded, turning to look at Roy. At that moment, he released his hold on the cape, and Roy saw a flash of his right hand. "Tim, what happened to your hand?" He grabbed the boy's wrist and gently pulled his hand up to examine. The skin was blistering and bleeding. Roy also spied the wet blood on the side of Tim's costume.

"Nothing, it just got burned…" Tim responded.

"Come on, let's grab Sarah and get you checked out. No sense in not taking care of yourself Tim."

* * *

Tim winced as Dr. Charles applied an antiseptic cream to his hand. "How exactly did you manage to burn yourself?" Roy asked. The two were in an off-shoot of the medical bay, and Roy was sitting beside Tim on one of the beds. "Shouldn't your gauntlets have protected your hand?"

"Wasn't wearing them at the time," Tim responded, biting the inside of his mouth against the pain. Dr. Sarah Charles quickly wound a bandage around his hand and taped it.

"When was this?"

"Up on the roof, there was some round thing up there. It looked like a mini camera. When I picked it up, it exploded," Tim explained, specifically leaving out the conversation he had.

"Jesus, that could have blown your fingers off. Be careful. I'll have Vic run a sweep of the Tower, make sure there aren't any other cameras around." Tim nodded.

"All right Tim, take off the body armor," Dr. Charles commanded. Tim sighed and unhooked the cape, and then pulled off the top half of his suit, revealing the bloody wound.

"Damn Tim, why didn't you do anything about this before? Jade or Thunder could have helped you," Roy asked, astounded that he did not think to clean up his wound earlier.

"Honestly, I didn't really notice it until a few minutes before Conner came up on the roof. I was a little preoccupied," he added.

"Yeah, I can understand that," Roy said. Dr. Charles pried the metal out of his wound with some tweezers, and then went about the task of cleaning it up. Tim winced internally when Dr. Charles whipped out a hypodermic needle. She carefully stabbed it into his side to numb the area. Then she set about to stitch up the wound.

A few minutes later, and Tim's entire abdomen was wrapped with bandages, to cover the wound, and the broken ribs. Sarah had also cleaned up the scratches and cuts on his face and arms. There were large red marks on Tim's neck from the man who tried to strangle him, but there was nothing that could be done about those.

"Now Tim, you need to take it easy for a while, okay? I don't want you running around saving the world until you're 100. Understood?" Dr. Charles asked.

"Yeah, I understand," Tim responded unconvincingly. He was just standing up when the door opened to reveal Victor.

"Roy, I've been looking for you everywhere!" Victor explained. "And Tim, what happened to you?"

"Hazards of the job," Tim replied. Dr. Charles filled Victor in on the extent of Tim's injuries.

"Alright hot-shot, I'm taking you off active duty," Victor said to Tim. "You are to stay put in the Tower at all times. No fighting crime for a while. So, go get changed." Tim grumbled, but did as he was told.

"Come on Roy, you going to make those calls to the JLA or what?" Victor asked. "The com's ringing off the hook again."

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Control Room**

Roy sighed with relief, sitting beside Grace and Jade. The com had been silent for a while. "Was it like this when I got shot?" Roy asked.

"Pretty much, except not as many people knew immediately. Nightwing made the first few calls – to Green Arrow and the JLA to tell them what happened," Jade responded.

Roy nodded, and turned his attention back to the screen. "The way I see it, we're heard from every superhero except one.

"Which one?" Grace asked as the screen flickered to life.

"Ah, Batman," Roy said.

_"So, how is he?"_ Batman asked in his typical harsh tone.

"He's pretty banged up, but Dr. Charles and Victor assures us that he'll be just fine," Roy responded.

_"Good,"_ Batman said in such a stoic way that everyone blinked in disbelief.

Roy could not prevent himself from vocalizing the thought that appeared in his mind. "You certainly waited a long time to call," he said in an irritated tone.

_"Well, if he had died, I assumed that you would call me, and if he hadn't, then I knew that you would not have anything to tell me for a while anyway,"_ Batman shrugged, however the way his voice changed when he said 'died' was caught only by Jade.

"Just business as usual for you?" Roy asked, his jaw tight. He was remembering Dick telling him of how Oliver Queen had reacted when Roy was shot. It was true that Batman and Nightwing were a bit estranged, but _really_. He wondered briefly about how Tim was doing.

_"I don't have time to bicker with you, Roy,"_ Batman responded coldly. The screen went dead.

"Real matter of fact, isn't he?" Grace asked, leaning back in her chair and stretching her tattooed arms.

"Pretty much. He can be a real bastard. And it looks like he didn't even know that Alfred was one of the first people to call. _Frantic_ he was, and he kept telling me that Batman would be calling any second," Roy snorted in derisive laughter.

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Recovery Room**

Conner, dressed in his usual jeans and Superman-symbol T-shirt, sat on a chair beside Cassie's hospital bed. She was sitting up in soft purple medical bay scrubs, and looked quite bored and fidgety. "So I missed a big battle then," Cassie sighed, her arms itching for her armbands, and her hands for the feel of her golden lasso.

"Total chaos more like," Conner responded. I ended up having to just take to the air and relay everything I saw back to Cyborg."

"But Robin and Nightwing stayed in the thick of the fighting?"

"Well, they couldn't exactly just fly away could they?"

"And they both ended up hurt?" Cassie asked for about the umpteenth time.

"Yes, but they will be fine. Last I heard, Cyborg took Robin off of active duty. He's supposed to take it easy for a while."

Cassie snorted in disbelief. "Like that will ever happen. Anyway, I guess I'll just have to heal up real fast so that you and Bart don't have to fight all alone."

"Oh, we won't be alone, there's always Kory, Gar, and Vic," Conner teased.

"Really? Well, just remember, no one can replace an Amazon," she smiled

"How could I forget?" he laughed, leaning forward to plant a kiss on her lips.

* * *

**Titan's Tower – 12:00 a.m.**

It had been quite a long day for all of the heroes. Rather than go back to New York, the Outsiders were put up in guest rooms in the Tower. Likewise, Dr. Charles opted to stay just in case something went wrong. And besides, she needed to keep an eye on her patients.

Once the noisy Tower had grown quiet, its occupants mostly asleep, a lone door slid open. Tim Drake passed through the hallways as silent as a shadow. He passed the bedrooms without as much as a second's hesitation, and made it to the Medical Bay.

Ignoring Dr. Charles' rules against entering the emergency area, Tim pushed the door open. Within the emergency room, Dick was still unconscious. Tim pulled a chair up beside his bed and sat, quietly watching his friend. He reached out and gently took Dick's bandaged hand in his own. Unbidden, the words spoken by the mysterious stranger passed through his mind.

"_How does it feel when someone supposedly stronger, and more advanced than yourself is defeated right before your eyes? How safe do you think you are? You are a target Robin, and if Nightwing can be defeated, then so can you."

* * *

_

**A/N: **Hmmm, what's going to happen next? I know - or do I? Anyway, I know this chapter was mostly devoid of action, except for the beginning, but those are the breaks. Anyway, feel free to muse about the events unravelling here, and please hit that review button.

_Thinking up more ideas,_

_Sarah Shima_


	10. The Stage is Set

**A/N:**

It seemed that chapter nine was the best so far - most amount of reviews and positive comments. Which I am glad, because I really liked it too.

I've been reading some comics, i.e. staking out the section in borders and sitting down with a stack, and looking through the ones at the comic book stores, to see if I'm doing everything correctly. I have noticed one important error though: The Teen Titans only meet on the weekends, but I've had them there for a while. Let us assume it is a school vacation so they decided to spend it at the Tower. I'm not sure if I'll change that later or not, so just so you know that I know that it's been wrong, there you have it. There's also some little things that just aren't worth changing at this point.

Also, I have to say that Slade was not as cool in the comics. He was a little annoying. So I like my Slade better. Other than that I guess I don't have much to say.

My updates might be fewer and farther between now that school is starting (Thursday, ick), but I'll see what I can do. (Reviews are motivators though...) I'm definitely not going to bail out on this fic, so do not worry about that.

I think I've wasted enough of your time now.

* * *

**Acknowledgements** (illegal, or legal, who knows?) 

**Liobit:** Oh, Roy was shot in one of the Outsiders volumes. It was a freak thing, with one of Brother Blood's 'sleepers.' The guy got him five times in the chest through body armor, and Green Arrow showed up freaking out. Anyway, thank you for your review. I'm sorry for the parts that are confusing, I'm trying to stay basic and not do too much comic-induced backstories. I'm glad this story has you thinking. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

**Kokuryu: **Thank you very much. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Showstopper: **Thank you for the review. You haven't reviewed before, but it was nice to see that you've been reading. I hope you enjoy chapter 10!

**Kazzy103: **Well, this chapter is going to heat things up. I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far. And I am doubly glad that you liked my portrayal of the reactions of the characters in the last chapter - I worked really hard on that. Anyway, thank you!

**Alexnandru Van Gordon:** All right all right, I saw you're threat in "The League's Hunt," so I decided to speed this up a tad, I was planning on putting it up around midnight, but here you are. Thanks for the last review, and I hope you're still going to continue to love this fanfic - or else... Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

**PhoenixClaw:** I think you're going to like chapter 10. And you're close, but Slade's approach is different than it was with Terra - well, you'll see. Anyway, thank you very much for your review. I was hoping that I got the emotions of Robin right in the last chapter, and it appears I have. Enjoy!

**Lucifel: **Thank you very much. I am very happy that you are following this story, and enjoying it. Thanks for the review!

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I think this is pretty much a waste of space at this point. 

Onward!

**

* * *

**

**If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 10: The Stage is Set

* * *

**Slade's Lair**

The obnoxious but skilled vigilante Huntress was currently lying strapped down to a table. Chords to monitoring devices coiled out from beneath her hair, attached to a large wall of computers. Wires snaked around her body, devices taking note of her heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and her breathing. She was unconscious, but relatively unharmed. Slade had removed her cape, belt, gloves, and mask.

Now, the criminal mastermind/assassin busied himself studying the monitors. Taking particular note of her brain functions. He was pleased with what he saw. He reached his hand under Huntress' neck, and felt for the newly designed device he had implanted. He felt the slightest bump beneath his fingers, and knew that this version would easily go undetected. And that was what he wanted.

He stared down at Huntress' olive skinned face, which currently housed a very peaceful expression. He smirked slightly, picturing what sort of look Huntress' face would contain in the days and weeks to come. Though he hated to admit it, having Huntress around was quite a welcome change. Ever since the death of his friend Wintergreen he was lonely, and frustrated with not being able to share his plans with anyone. Huntress was certainly entertaining company, and he so enjoyed her reactions as she observed some of the preliminary steps in his ultimate plan. Of course her earlier remonstrance about Slade being too cowardly to kill his enemy himself was of no value. Slade never intended to have Nightwing murdered. It was just another part of his brilliant plan – a plan that would prove most ingenious.

He documented the rest of the read-outs from the monitors. Then he removed the wires from Huntress and returned her to her cell. She would be awakening soon, for which Slade was eagerly awaiting. Huntress could prove quite amusing as she reacted to his little experiment.

* * *

**Titan's Tower – 5 a.m.**

When Tim finally returned to his room, the first rays of light were rising over San Francisco Bay. He sat down on his un-made bed, his head rested in his hands. He felt odd in his sweats, growing so accustomed to the continuous feel of the Robin suit. However, Robin was on vacation, and Tim Drake was stuck in the Tower. It was one of the reasons he decided to sleep at all. Other than the fact that he was extremely tired from the beating he took the previous morning, and the emotional turmoil, not being able to participate in Titan activities made it okay for him to relax.

However, Cyborg had set a briefing on the events that transpired at Alcatraz for 10 a.m., and even though Tim had been much more involved in the fight then most of the others, he was eager to learn what he may not already know. So that left him with only five hours to sleep. He really had no idea that he had been with Dick for so long. It had been hard to leave him.

Before he 'went to bed' the night before, Roy had told him about Batman's call. And while Tim knew that Batman really cared for Nightwing, it depressed him that the Bat was unable to show it even just a little.

Tim pushed the thoughts out of his mind, and focused on going to sleep.

* * *

**Titan's Tower 8:00a.m.**

Cyborg could hardly believe it when the calls started coming in. It was early for criminal activity, yet it seemed the Alcatraz-escapees were having a little celebration right in the heart of San Francisco. Vandalism, property destruction, terrorizing of citizens, stealing, and much more was occurring on a wide scale in the downtown areas. Cyborg cursed and set off the Tower-wide alarm.

Tim woke with a start at the sound of the alarm's siren, and the sight of flashing red lights within the Tower. He leapt out of bed, and was about to grab his Robin suit when he suddenly remembered that he was no longer on active duty. He sank back down on the bed uncertainly, as the sounds of footsteps were heard outside his door.

_"Impulse, Superboy, Starfire, Beast Boy, and any Outsider who wants to lend a hand, report immediately to the garage," _Cyborg's voice shouted over the Tower-wide speaker. After a few moments, Tim looked out his window and saw Indigo, Jade, Superboy, Starfire, and Beast Boy fly towards the mainland, and then the Pequod carrying Arsenal, Shift, Grace, Thunder, and Cyborg followed them in the air.

That left Cassie, Tim, and Dr. Charles in the Tower.

Tim sighed and slumped back on his pillows, deciding to go against his own rules and sleep in a little longer. What was the point of being awake in the Tower basically alone while everyone else was out fighting?

* * *

**Titan's Tower 10:00a.m.**

Tim woke up again, and decided to actually leave his bed and eat some breakfast. So he showered and changed. Having there be no point in wearing the Robin costume without being able to fight, he settled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He felt torn about the mask though. There were not many people in the Tower, but there was no way to tell when they would be back. And none of the Outsiders other than Roy knew who he was, and was in no hurry to reveal himself to them. Besides, he felt more comfortable with it on. So, he donned the mask.

When he arrived at the kitchen, he found it occupied. Cassie Sandmark was seated at the table, polishing off the remnants of a few slices of toast. "Hey," she greeted when he entered.

"I see you're finally out of medical bay," Tim said. Wonder Girl had been allowed out of the hospital wing after only two days. Apparently the breaks were not very bad, and her physiology was healing her rapidly.

"Yeah, Victor let me back into my own room last night. There was really no point in me staying there any longer. Then before she left this morning, Kori helped me into the kitchen so I could get something to eat."

"So you've been eating in here for what, two hours?" Tim asked.

Cassie nodded. "I kept waiting for you to walk in. The Tower's pretty lonely when it's this empty," she sighed.

"I can see that," Tim said, popping some bread into the toaster and sitting across from Cassie.

"So, how are you doing, all things considered?" Cassie asked.

"Fine, I'm fine," Tim responded.

"Really? You're not feeling anything about what happened yesterday? You're just 'fine'?" Cassie asked, clearly not believing him.

"All right, I guess not.

"I just don't understand what the hell's going on here," Tim said. "Yesterday was just this giant free-for-all. It was chaos Cassie. You should've seen it. Everywhere you turned there was someone waiting for an opportunity to take you out. And I didn't pay attention to any of it. I just shoved forward to try and get to Nightwing, because he was in trouble. What I don't understand is why I'm the only person who did that," Tim paused, and Cassie stayed silent. "Everyone else had powers, they could have had an easier time of it, and yet they just didn't get over there. Isn't the point of teams, to look out for one another? If we were all just going to be selfish and not help each other, then what's the point? He was in real trouble by the time I got to him, and he could have been killed. So where was Cyborg, and Starfire and Beast Boy. If they're so experienced and high above us on everything, then where were they?

"I'm not saying that I'm perfect, because I'm not. I really couldn't do much to help, and just by being there I probably screwed everything up."

"What do you mean, you screwed everything up?" Cassie questioned.

"Mammoth threw a punch at me, and I froze. I didn't even try to dodge or anything. And Nightwing shoved me out of the way and took the hit himself," Tim said quietly. "After that, everything went to hell. Both of us could have been killed."

"No one else was there to help?" Cassie asked.

"Starfire and Beast Boy had gotten there by this time, but they were closed out by some sort of shield that Psimon put up. The only reason they got in was because he walked away. But still, if they had been there sooner, then maybe…"

"Maybe Nightwing wouldn't have nearly died," Cassie finished.

"So you see what I mean then?" Tim asked.

"I understand that you're feeling really guilty right now, and you're trying to cover it up by blaming everyone else," Cassie said. Tim stared at her, dumbstruck. "Not that you aren't partially right about everyone not helping each other out enough, but Tim… I can tell that you feel really badly about what happened to Nightwing. But it wasn't your fault. Just because you froze, it wasn't your fault. Nightwing chose to push you out of the way, he chose to take the hit for you. And that just shows that he cares about you Tim. And besides, someone released all of those prisoners, so they're the ones to blame."

After she finished speaking, Tim and Cassie sat in silence for a while. Neither knew what to say. Finally Cassie could not take it anymore. "Won't you just say something?" she asked.

"He shouldn't have had to protect me," Tim mumbled, staring at his bandaged hand and remembering his conversation the previous day on the roof.

"Nightwing you mean?"

"Yeah, I should've been able to handle it myself. I went there to help him, not the other way around."

"Tim…" Cassie began, but Tim was already walking out of the room. She watched his retreating figure and the slumped back down at the table, unsure of what to do next.

* * *

**Slade's Lair**

Huntress awoke slowly. Her body ached, and the back of her neck itched. She scratched at the skin, feeling a slight bump beneath her fingers. Sitting up on the hard, cold floor, she opened her eyes. And suddenly remembered where she was. In front of her, Slade sat at a desk, tinkering with an array of devices.

She leaned back against the wall, feeling a horrible depression overtaking her. _'Why did he have to bring me here? It's not fair,' _her mind whimpered feebly. Huntress tried to shake off the feeling, attempted to resurrect her anger and disgust, but it was no use. She felt horribly lonely and hopeless.

And that was only the beginning.

Tears slid down her cheeks, and she wiped them away. Her body felt frozen, and she shook, hugging herself.

"Ah Huntress," Slade said, walking over towards her. "How are you feeling today?" Her response was a muffled sob. "I thought so," Slade smiled. Then he walked over to the computer console and pushed a button. Immediately, a live image of the Gotham Clocktower appeared. Slade switched the view to an interior shot. There was Oracle, otherwise known as Barbara Gordon, sitting in her wheelchair and talking to a man. From the angle, Huntress could not tell who he was, but Barbara seemed quite comfortable with him, and was completely ignoring the computers behind her.

"Look at that, you've been missing for days, and yet here's your beloved teammate, not lifting a finger to find you. She's just sitting there, chatting with a friend of hers. Completely oblivious and uncaring to your situation."

Though she wanted to protest every word he said, Huntress' mind was not listening to her. Her thoughts were distorted, and she felt white-hot rage burn within her. Her body, which a moment ago was cold, now felt aflame. A feral growl passed between her lips as she stared at the screen. Her anger clouded her mind, and she could no longer hear the voice within her shouting that Slade had done something to her.

Completely ignored by the vigilante now, Slade watched her. He chuckled despite himself, seeing his plan falling into place.

* * *

**Titan's Tower**

The Titans and Outsiders spent the entire day breaking up riots and disturbances. The captured criminals were sent to nearby cities for incarceration. However, none of the more notorious criminals were captured, mainly Psimon and Mammoth. Exhausted and sweaty, the two teams finally made their way back to the Tower well after dark.

Tim spent much of his day visiting with Dick and waiting for him to wake up. So far, though he looked much better than he had the day before, he was still unconscious. Tim wanted more than ever to talk to him, but it was impossible.

Dr. Charles made sure to check Tim's injuries, and was pleased to see that they were healing nicely.

After a quick dinner, the heroes elected to go straight to bed before another alarm went off. Victor rescheduled the cancelled meeting to 10:00 a.m. the following morning.

* * *

**

* * *

The Next Day: Titan's Tower 10:00 a.m.**

As the clock struck ten, almost everyone had already assembled. The Titans sat on one side of the room, the Outsiders on the other. Grace Choi arrived looking sleep-deprived, her hair matted and an annoyed expression on her face. She slumped on the couch next to Roy. Wonder Girl was late. She hobbled in, awkwardly positioning a crutch under her good arm. Superboy walked alongside her, looking annoyed as she dismissed his offers to assist her.

The Titans and Outsiders turned to Cyborg who would be running the meeting. "All right, first off, the good news," Cyborg began. "No casualties," he said. "However, there were plenty of injuries," Cyborg added. The group muttered in response. "Other than just to the 'good guys,' many of the criminals were hurt."

"Who the hell cares?" Grace asked. "It was their own damn fault for attacking. Don't tell me we're supposed to feel bad for them."

"Well, the presence of Psimon suggests that many of the 'criminals' were not acting of their own free will. The convicts who were arrested after our retreat were the ones knocked unconscious. Most of them did not have a very long list of offenses. However few were given life-changing injuries. Although, there were two who lost an eye to birdarangs," Cyborg added, he glanced briefly at Tim, who merely shrugged. Grace gave Tim a thumbs-up that went unnoticed by Cyborg.

"Cyborg, can we get on with this?" Jade asked. "I know you feel for the 'pains of the criminal world,' but really, if someone got hurt, that wasn't the Titans fault."

"She's right. What we need to focus on is why Psimon went to Alcatraz at all," Roy suggested.

"Good question. He obviously wanted to break out Mammoth," Thunder said.

"Yeah, but those two aren't exactly best friends," Beast Boy pointed out. "Besides Psimon must have had help."

"Roy, you helped design the security measures in Alcatraz, what exactly did he break through?" Jade questioned.

"He passed through main security by the gates," Roy began.

"Yes, there was an explosion at the main entrance," Indigo said.

"Then, he disrupted the dampeners," Roy continued.

"How did he do that?" Starfire asked. "If criminals can deactivate dampeners now, there's no prison that can hold them."

"It must have been a group of high powered disrupters, placed on the dampeners, and strong enough to destroy the integrity of the devices," Indigo explained. "And each dampener was connected, which ultimately led to them all being compromised."

"Which is how every freak in there managed to power up," Roy spat.

"Hey, watch it with the 'freak' comments," Grace sneered.

"Sorry, I'm just a little pissed off at whoever was helping Psimon. What was he trying to achieve?"

"Death, destruction, macabre delights, take your pick," Grace said.

"Has anyone been allowed to inspect the prison yet?" Jade asked, ignoring Grace's comment.

"Not yet Jade, they don't want one of 'our kind' in that prison. Apparently they're suffering under the delusion that Nightwing's visit caused the whole problem," Roy rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"Maybe they're right," Garfield said, leaning forward and resting his green chin on his hand.

Roy rounded on him. "What do you mean they're right!"

"I'm not saying Nightwing had something to do with the break-out, but maybe the break-out was staged at that moment because he was there," Garfield explained, leaning back again in his white and violet costume.

"Well, they were all gunning for him," Conner agreed.

Roy sat back, thinking. "That was strange," he finally added.

"You think Psimon was just mad about that whole atomic bomb thing?" Shift asked.

"No, I'm telling you, he did not do this by himself," Roy protested.

"What about whoever brought Shimmer back to life?" Jade suggested.

"Nah, something tells me that's not it. I wish we could just get into that prison to search for clues. The disrupters must still be on the dampeners, and that could be a major clue," Roy said.

"Well, what known criminals have access to, or can create, this type of technology?" Tim asked, putting his detective skills to work.

"That's quite a list," Roy laughed out loud. "It doesn't matter for you kids anyway. Finding out who did this is Outsiders' business," Roy stated.

"What?" Tim asked.

"The Titans stop crimes when they're happening. The Outsiders track down the criminals before they can unleash their plans. The situation at Alcatraz was a Titans type fight, finding the people behind it falls to the Outsiders." The air in the room visibly changed as Roy spoke. Thick tension formed between them, and suddenly the room seemed divided, Titans on one side, Outsiders on the other.

"I do hope you realize Roy, that when you are talking about the Titans you are also including Cyborg, Beast Boy, and myself," Starfire said imposingly. Roy glanced warily at Starfire. Her people were known for acting on their emotions, and he knew that when angry, Starfire had a tendency to attack without warning.

"Yes, I realize that," Roy said carefully. "But this is just the way it is Kory. Besides I'm sure you Titans will have more than you can handle with all of the criminals who just escaped. Leave the boring work to the Outsiders, and protect your city."

"You won't be rid of us that easily, archer," Starfire warned. "This 'case' involves Dick, and so it involves all of us."

"It isn't up for discussion," Roy responded calmly. Before anyone could protest, he spoke again. "I'm going to get into contact with the feds, see if I can't get into Alcatraz," he said. Then he stood and marched purposely out of the room, leaving the stunned heroes in his wake.

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Main Room**

The Outsiders had wandered off in a vague search for Roy, leaving the Titans alone in the room. "Can he really do that? Just cut us out from this?" Conner asked, glancing up at Cyborg, who was the real brains of the Teen Titans.

"Well we can't help much if Roy has all of the evidence anyway," Cyborg said. "But I'm sure he'll come around. Besides, we have a lot of work to do. We're going to have to track down some of the more dangerous criminals who went rogue."

"Starting with Psimon," Tim voiced. The others turned to look at him. "We find Psimon, and we can find who he's working for."

"You think Psimon will give up his boss that easily?" Cassie questioned.

"From what I've heard of the Fearsome Five – er Four, they're not exactly the loyal type," Tim answered.

"I'd have to agree," Beast Boy said. "Well, at least it gives us something to work toward. How well could a guy with an overlarge brain hide in San Francisco anyway?"

"And if Mammoth is with him as well, then he should stand out," Starfire added.

"All right, I'll go start researching any possible hideouts," Tim said, standing to leave. He was stopped by a large cybernetic arm.

"Hey, not so fast. You're not on active duty, remember?" Victor said.

"So, I can still search," Tim responded.

"Tim, you need to recover from your injuries. And by recover, I mean no stress. I know what you're like, you'll get overly involved in this and start neglecting sleep and other helpful things. So go hang out or something. We have everything covered."

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Medical Bay: 3:40p.m.**

Tim walked down the empty hallway towards the Medical Bay, not sure where else to go. When he arrived however, he found he would not be able to visit with Dick alone. Roy was already there, talking to Sarah in the emergency area, Dick still unconscious beside them. Tim hesitantly pushed the door open.

Sarah and Roy looked up as he entered. "Hey Tim, good timing," Roy said, greeting the youth. "Dr. Charles and I were just talking about moving Dick to S.T.A.R. labs."

"What? Why?" Tim asked.

"I'd rather have him somewhere where I can keep an eye on him. Some of those injuries were pretty bad. S.T.A.R. is better equipped than the Tower. Also, there's no way to keep a recovering person away from stress at a superhero team's headquarters," Dr. Charles explained as if she had rehearsed this several times.

Tim slowly nodded. Though Tim hated to admit it, everything she said made sense. It was important that he recover in a stress-free environment, and that was not the Tower. However, Tim really wanted to get a chance to talk to him one-on-one about Slade. And it would be very hard to do that if they moved him before he even woke up.

"All right Roy, my medi-copter should be here in about an hour. Why don't you go tell everyone else, and I'll check Tim's stitches again," Dr. Charles suggested. Roy nodded and left the room.

Dr. Charles motioned for Tim to follow her to another area of the medical bay so she could look over his injuries again before she left.

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Main Room **

"What do you mean you're moving him?" Starfire asked Roy, her glowing eyes revealing her anger. Roy sighed out loud, frustrated with having to have two possibly life-threatening conversations in one day.

"S.T.A.R. labs is better equipped," Roy said. "And Dr. Charles suggested it, so I think we should all listen to her."

Starfire deflated slightly, knowing that they should listen to what the doctor had to say, though she was not happy about it. She liked having him around, and did not want him to leave while he was still injured. "But… isn't it dangerous to move him?" Starfire sputtered.

"The day before yesterday, yes, today no," Roy responded.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Victor said. " 'Stress free environment' does not exactly describe the Tower." The others agreed.

"Well, Dr. Charles' helicopter will be here soon," Roy said. "I think I'll go with them, you know, just so--"

"Indigo and I can take care of inspecting Alcatraz," Jade interrupted his sputtering for excuses. "So you can go on ahead. Once they let us in, we'll broadcast our search to you."

"Thanks Jade," Roy said. "And, I guess that means you other Outsiders can get back to New York."

* * *

**Slade's Lair**

Slade watched from his cameras as the helicopter carrying Nightwing, Arsenal, and Dr. Charles rose from the helipad on the Tower's roof. From a series of microphones and recorders he had paid to be installed when the Tower was built, and had lain dormant in the Tower for some time, Slade knew that Nightwing had probably been planning on telling Robin the truth about Slade when he returned from Alcatraz. And then Alcatraz had not gone as Nightwing had hoped. Now, he was leaving while still unconscious, so there was no way that Robin had heard the story from a superhero source yet. Which was all the better for his plan.

However, he needed to get to the boy before he hacked in to the Titan's mainframe to read the rest for himself.

It would have to be tonight.

Everything seemed to be in motion. The stage was set, and if all worked out, he would take the last bow.

* * *

**Titan's Tower: 9:00 p.m.**

Two alarms later, and Tim was still sitting on the couch in the main room, idly flipping channels. Nothing was on, so he switched off the television, and walked into his room.

He was going stir crazy holed up in the Tower. However, whenever he thought of joining in on one of the fights without permission, his broken ribs and stitched-up wound would remind him of why that was a bad idea. Besides, he really was not in the mood for another lecture. What he wanted was to get out of the Tower for a while. He stared out of the window at the inky black sky and sighed.

"_Sitting back to relax while the others do all the work?" _a male voice said, making Tim jump an inch. He quickly looked for the source of the sound. _"Over there, under the bed," _the voice instructed. Perplexed, Tim reached under his bed and pulled out another camera, similar to the one from the night before.

"You again, what do you want?" Tim asked.

"_Just wondering what you're doing in the Tower still, when everyone else is out?" _the voice asked. _"Surely you weren't so injured that you could not be of assistance anymore."_

"Well maybe if my hand wasn't burned…" Tim said.

"_I am sorry about that, but you were supposed to drop the device before it blew up,"_ the voice jested. _"So you really are hurt then? My, my, if you couldn't even survive the fight the other day without needing convalescence…"_

"I'm not in need of 'convalescence,' I'm barely hurt at all."

"_Then why are you still in the Tower?"_

"Because I've been taken off active-duty," Tim responded, annoyed.

"_Surely that didn't mean that you could not go outside? Not even for a little exercise? The last thing you need is to lose your expertise over the grappling gun from not practicing."_

"Look, I have no idea who you are, or why you're bothering me, so just leave me alone. I don't need any lectures from you," Tim said.  
_"I only assumed that someone with a demanding job such as yours would want to stay in top shape. Even a few days off can undo weeks of training. So come on Robin, are you really going to let that old robot coop you up in the Tower?" _Tim knew he was right, and it only made him angrier.

He paused before responding, looking out the window again. 'Cyborg only said that I was off active-duty and supposed to 'take it easy.' He didn't necessarily say that I couldn't go out and you know, take a walk…' Tim thought. He dropped the communicator/camera, and walked over to the closet to pull out the Robin suit. In the background, he heard whoever was on the other end of the communicator click it off.

'Robin' quickly and quietly headed down to the garages of the Tower. Deciding against taking a vehicle that would alert the Titans in the Tower, he decided to go through the tunnel connecting Titan's Island with the mainland on foot.

* * *

Having just returned from another call, and trying to relax, Starfire was not overjoyed to see that someone was sneaking out of the Tower. She activated the passageway's security camera in time to see Robin slipping through it. 

Releasing an aggravated sigh, Starfire put down her snack, and turned to leave. Annoyed and tired as she was, she would still follow Nightwing's instructions to keep tabs on Robin.

* * *

**Slade's Lair**

Slade called in a group of employees from his organization. "Watch her while I'm gone," he ordered, pointing to Huntress. The men appraised Huntress. She was leaning up against the wall, whispering to herself. "Oh, and don't touch her," Slade added.

He left his base feeling good about the events to come. The camera Robin had spoken to him through contained a residual dust that allowed Slade to track his movements; so finding him would not be an issue. And from there… Slade smiled behind his mask.

* * *

**San Francisco 10:00 p.m.**

Robin had been walking through the streets of San Francisco – looking for a good place to have some fun with his grappling hook, when he noticed that he was being followed. He pulled out his communicator and switched it to the locator screen. Directly behind his own signal was another flashing light, that belonged to Starfire. Robin shook his head in frustration, and decided it was time to lose her.

* * *

Starfire darted in between buildings, shrinking in the shadows as she followed Robin. While it would have been easier to just jump out and drag him back to the Tower, Robin was smart, and probably just leave the Tower again once her back was turned. Besides, Robin was not told about Nightwing wanting him followed, so she would have to come up with some excuse for her actions, and then a plausible sounding reason to bring him back. She pulled a hand through her red hair in irritation. Humans were so exasperating. 

She ducked behind a trashcan as Robin turned around. He scanned the alley, and then continued. Starfire sighed.

* * *

**San Francisco 10:30 p.m.**

Robin shot out his grappling hook, pulling it gingerly to test the sturdiness before shooting off on the jump cord. Starfire was still behind him, levitating no doubt, which meant that all of his fancy flying tricks would not lose her. He would have to try something different. He had honed his stealth skills with Nightwing, by trying to lose him in Gotham. Well, San Francisco might be different, but he could do the same thing here.

He lowered himself to the ground and pulled the cape around him, the black material providing a decent enough cloak in the darkness that surrounded him. He headed into a dark alleyway, which was covered with fire escapes and dumpsters. He ducked behind a dumpster, taking a moment to make a plan. First, he pulled out his communicator. He turned it on, and scanned through the menu. He found the section with the location device in the list, and clicked to turn it off. Now she would not be able to find him that way once he lost her. He pocketed the communicator and pulled a round disk out of his pocket.

He felt a minute amount of regret as the clouds shifted and Starfire's shadow appeared over the alleyway, the moonlight revealing her position. Closing his eyes, he activated the disk and threw it into the alley. It erupted with a bright flash of light, and an ear-piercing bang, which would be enough to temporarily blind and deafen even an alien like Starfire. Taking his opportunity, Robin ran silently out of the alleyway, then shot the grappling hook out again, lifting himself into the air by the jump cord.

* * *

Starfire gasped as the bright flash erupted in front of her. She blinked, attempting to clear the spots in front of her eyes. However, she knew before she regained her vision that Robin was long gone. She had lost him. He should not even have known she was there. He was better than she thought. 

Finally able to see, Starfire pulled out her communicator. However, once she looked through the locator map she saw that Robin had outwitted her again. He turned off his locator. Admitting defeat, Starfire turned and went back to Titan's Tower to sort out the mess she had made.

* * *

He spent quite a while jumping in between buildings, and soaring through the air, just trying to clear his head. He landed on the roof of a large warehouse, and stopped. He sighed, surveying his surroundings from his perch. The roof was rather large and flat, and he could see nothing but other buildings from where he stood. However, he heard something unexpected, footsteps behind him. 

Whirling around, Tim pulled out a bo staff and faced the person. The tall, imposing figure standing before him wore a mask that was orange on one side, and black on another. Tim's heart began to beat quickly as he recognized the man – Slade. He gripped his bo staff tighter, awaiting an attack.

"Hello Robin," Slade said calmly, his hands folded behind his back. "How are you doing?"

"What do you want, Slade?" Robin demanded.

"I just wanted to talk to you, alone," Slade added, gesturing to their private surroundings. "I've been watching you for some time."

"Oh really?" Robin spat. "And why was that?"

"I was curious. And I must say, that I have been most impressed," he said, his voice sounding strangely kind.

Robin's stance faltered as he surveyed Slade. "What?" he asked.

"You have great skill for the martial arts, and an excellent mind for quick thinking. I've been observing your battles, seeing how your fellow Titans do not respect your authority, and watching as your 'mentors' display their utter disdain for you." Robin did not respond. "And I'm sure you've been told that I'm horrible in every way from the other heroes, so your suspicion of me is not entirely a surprise. However, I have an offer to make."

"What kind of offer?" Robin asked, lowering his bo staff. He was finding himself intrigued by this man.

"I have for many years been searching for a young, skilled fighter. I have come across many, however they have not always possessed certain necessary traits. You Robin, you are exactly what I am looking for."

"And what exactly are you looking for?" Robin asked, raising his eyebrows behind his mask.

"An apprentice," Slade responded simply. "Someone that I could teach, of whom I could bestow all of my knowledge. I need someone I can trust to follow orders, and to be able to conduct their own missions. The person I want has to be determined, focused, and strong. That person is you."

"So you want me to join up with you and become a villain?" Robin laughed. "I don't think so."

"Just hear me out. I can offer you much more than all of those heroes combined. I've seen how they treat you. They do not appreciate you. I do. If you join me, you will know true power. You could have those who have looked down upon you cowering at your feet. You would no longer be tied down by worry over those around you. You would control your own destiny."

"Second to you though," Robin pointed out.

"What?"

"I wouldn't really control my own destiny, you would," Robin said. "I'm not stupid Slade, I know that if you're looking for an apprentice that you want to be a master, and I am not quite sure that I really need another one of those."

"Well, I would not expect you to decide immediately. Take some time and think it over," Slade said, stepping towards him. He pulled a disc out of his pocket and held it out to Robin. It was orange with a black S on it. "Here's a communicator that links to mine. If you'd like to discuss this further, of if you decide to join me, just let me know," Slade said as Robin hesitantly took the disc. "I'm sure you will see things my way eventually," Slade added, walking around Robin. He looked like a vulture examining its prey, but Robin was still looking at the communicator in his hand, hardly believing the conversation he and Slade were having. "So Robin, I'll hear from you soon," Slade said, clapping Robin on the back, and then disappearing into the night.

Robin stared off into the dark city for a while, thinking about Slade's proposal. Him, a villain, it was absurd. Yet… Slade was obviously a man who knew how to sell something. Robin would be lying if he said he was not the least bit tempted. For all of his hoopla about being a hero, heroes and villains were not always dissimilar. Skilled, costumed, breaking laws; that could describe either side. But Robin was Batman's sidekick, and a member of the Teen Titans. That was not going to change.

But why was everyone so afraid of Slade? By the way that Nightwing and the Titans spoke of him, Robin had expected him to attack immediately, yet all he had was a proposition. What was so dangerous about him? Robin's mind once again strayed to the Titan's log entry he never finished. He knew the answers to his questions were in there, and he would get access; one way or another. Mind set, he decided to look into those logs immediately.

Robin considered tossing the communicator, but then realized it could be used to find Slade. So, pocketing the communicator, Robin turned and headed for Titan's Tower.

* * *

Watching the boy wonder from a nearby alleyway, Slade smiled smugly behind the mask. He pulled out a communicator and spoke into it briefly. "Go get him."

* * *

He was reaching the edge of the bay, when he spotted two large figures in an alleyway. Anger rose red-hot within him as he viewed the giant-sized man, and the smaller figure with the large brain. "Mammoth, and Psimon," he hissed so quietly that only he could hear. He perched on a streetlight and stared down on them. He was no where near ready to forget the part those two played in the escape from Alcatraz, and the resulting injuring of Nightwing. 

He reached down to his utility belt, and wrapped his fingers around three smooth birdarangs. He pulled them up slowly, the three positioned between four fingers. They had not yet noticed him, and all it would take was one swift move to take both of them down. But he had to be careful; any mistake could cost him dearly.

He pulled his arm back, and then tossed it forward, releasing the three birdarangs. They whizzed through the air with a metallic whine. They were just about to hit their target, when the weapons suddenly changed course. They turned in mid-air, and spun dizzyingly quick, straight towards Robin. He jumped off of the light post and the birdarangs followed. Two embedded themselves in his back, and the other whipped around and slashed his shoulder.

He fell forward, breaking his fall with his hands, and lay there for a moment. His face was pressed against the cold concrete as his back painfully cried out against the twin metal blades embedded there. _'How did he…?' _Robin thought, and then the answer came to him. _'Dammit, telekinetics! He knew I was here!'_

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Psimon laughed, turning to look at the injured Boy Wonder. Robin grimaced, and forced himself to his feet. "Why Robin, that attack was a bit vicious. Imagine if I had not noticed you before you tried to kill me. And here I was, just minding my own business."

"You're a criminal, and you should be in jail," Robin responded.

"Oh, and you think you're going to send me there?" Psimon asked, one eyebrow raised. "You'll fail. Come on Mammoth, let's give Robin a night to remember."

Robin pulled out his bo staff and took up a fighting stance. He was outnumbered and outmatched, but there was no way he was going to give up. What had Nightwing told him about the Fearsome Five? That their greatest downfall was that they did not trust each other. He would play off of that if he could. However, something told him that he would never get the chance.

Mammoth lunged at Robin, who dodged easily. Psimon was a problem though, as he used telekinetics to throw Robin into the path of Mammoth's next blow. His newly healed rib snapped with a satisfying crack. He threw a freeze disk at Psimon, but he stopped it in the air and tossed it back at Robin. Robin dodged, and the disk erupted on the wall of a nearby building. As both villains stared at the new ice-sculpture, Robin brought his staff down on Psimon. Psimon seemed to have been waiting for that. He grabbed onto Robin's face with his hands, and forced his way into the boy's mind. Robin gasped as Psimon effectively prevented him from moving. With his other hand, Psimon procured a round object. He pressed it against Robin, and then activated it, at the same time throwing the vigilante onto the pavement. Electricity spun out of the disk and latched onto Robin. He screamed as it pulsed through him. He looked up to see Psimon's victorious grin before everything went black.

* * *

**A/N:**

So what's going on now? What are Psimon and Mammoth up to? Who was Slade talking to? What did Slade do to Huntress? All this and more, next time on "If At First You Don't Succeed."

Some quick side notes:

Roy said something almost identical to his "Outsiders business" statement in the Teen Titans/Outsiders crossover "The Insiders," so if you think he was being a jerk, blame DC, they're the ones who made him this way.

Also, there's really no hidden intentions in Victor's words in this chapter. I'm trying to have him redeem himself. I mean, I can understand why he would be mad that people who might have been controlled were losing their eyes. Can't you?

Alright then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review!

Until I update again,

Sarah Shima


	11. Vertigo

**A/N:** I finally buckled down and finished this chapter. More like, a particular nasty homework assignment suddenly got me interested in writing. So I sacrificed my Saturday night for all of you, it's okay though, I had quite enough 'fun' last night. Anyway, some acknowledgements, the disclaimer, and then we'll be good to go.

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**Asilla:** All right already, here's chapter 11. Almost a full month since the last one, I am evil, aren't I? I'm glad that you like it thus far, cause I like it, and it's good to be appreciated I suppose. Anyway, thank you very much for the review, and I hope you like this chapter as much as the others.

**Gratuitous:** I'm flattered immensely that you enjoy my fanfiction so much. I hope you'll continue to enjoy it as it goes on. Thank you for the review.

**PhoenixClaw:** Oh, you should definitely cower in fear. Lol, thanks for the compliments, and I'm glad to see that I captured Slade just as I wanted to in chapter 10. Tim's not through with Slade yet, not by any account. I hope you like chapter 11.

**Kokuryu:** Slade is stubborn, and crafty too. That wiley old devil. Anyway, I liked the scene with Tim and Slade in the last chapter a lot, so I'm glad you enjoyed it too. Hope you like this one.

**Kazzy103:** Yeah, everyone is confused over the Huntress thing, but all will be revealed in due time. What's a story without a little mystery? Anyway, I hope you are finding yourself with some more free time now, I certainly wish I had some. And of course, enjoy the chapter and thanks for reviewing.

**jade:** I put in a long Kory section in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for the review, I'm glad you liked the previous chapters!

**Alexnandru Van Gordon:** It took a really long time for this update, and I'm hoping it's up to the same level of quality as the others. I hope you'll like my twist. And you better update something... eventually... wow school is making me soft, my threats are becoming rather vague. Anyway, thanks for the review.

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**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I do not yet own them. Though I am working on getting into DC from the ground up. Just give me a good decade.

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**If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Sarah Shima

**Chapter 11: Vertigo**

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* * *

Slade's Lair**

Slade waited expectantly for Psimon and Mammoth's return. His plan was about to be put into action, and he could hardly wait.

Behind him, Huntress muttered in the dark. She had been doing that for all of her waking hours ever since he showed her the footage of Barbara Gordon and a man. Of course she did not know that the man was actually Bruce Wayne – Batman, who was helping Barbara in her desperate search for Helena. So now, all of her anger was targeted at Oracle rather than Slade. It was all a part of the plan of course.

Slade chuckled and focused his gaze on the monitors, waiting for the arrival of his two subordinates. He would rather have used his own people, but it was less conspicuous for him to use two established villains. The fact that the two villains hated heroes – particularly Nightwing and the Titans, was just a side benefit.

Mammoth and Psimon finally entered the warehouse, Robin slung carelessly over the larger man's shoulder. Slade led the pair through his hideout to a small room with a hard bed and rows of machines and surgical instruments. He motioned for him to lie Robin down on a hard metal table. Mammoth did as he was told, putting the vigilante face-down on the cold surface. Slade quickly and expertly restrained him. Then he moved his attention to the back of Robin's neck. He reached over for his tools, and prepared to insert the device into Robin's skin.

* * *

Slade had already been working on Robin for a while when Robin's eyes fluttered open. He lay quite still, hoping to ascertain his situation before anyone realized he was awake. He could feel straps holding him down, but it did not matter, when he tried to move he found his whole body to be paralyzed. Forcing away the impulse to panic, Robin tried to figure out his situation.

He had obviously been abducted, and now he was strapped to a table – face down. And he could see a shadow hovering over him, doing god-knows-what. Suddenly he felt someone looking straight down on him. The person moved away, and in another moment, he felt the prick of a needle in his arm. Then his vision faded into darkness.

* * *

Slade shook his head as he injected Robin with another sedative. He had been careless to not drug the boy more. If he remembered anything… No, Slade would just have Psimon hide the memory further in his mind.

* * *

**Titan's Tower**

"What do you mean, you 'lost Robin'?" Victor demanded. He was sitting in the medical bay, bandaging up Garfield's arm. Kory stood awkwardly across from him, her expression a cross between anxiety and anger.

"I explained it already Victor," Kory responded. "And he's turned off his locator, so I cannot find him!"

"I'm sure the kid will be fine, he's probably just off somewhere letting off some steam," Garfield suggested.

"Dick asked us to watch Tim, and now I have already lost him," Kory said angrily. "We must find him."

"Fine Kory, we'll go look for Robin. But honestly I don't know how you expect to find him in this city," Victor said, frustrated.

"Easy, listen for _sirens_," Gar sighed.

* * *

**Slade's Lair**

"Finished," Slade said aloud, examining his handiwork. Just like Huntress', Robin's device was cleverly hidden. No one would notice it, and so his plan would work perfectly.

Now however, came the hardest part, letting Robin go.

Slade was tempted to keep him prisoner, but knew that it would not work. He had thought long and hard about his plan before initiating it, and it was the only way to secure Robin as his apprentice. He could not screw it up now.

"Mammoth, Psimon. Take him back to where you fought him," Slade ordered, undoing the restraints that held the unconscious boy in place. "And Psimon, make sure he doesn't remember waking up here."

The two complied instantly, money got him that much, and Slade was left alone in the hideout.

Huntress had fallen into a troubling sleep not long ago, and was whispering curses under her breath, all interspersed with two words – "Oracle" and "Barbara."

* * *

**San Francisco**

It had been over two hours since Starfire lost Robin. She felt as if she had scoured the entire city looking for him, while Victor stayed in the Tower looking up any incidents that Robin might have joined in on.

She was starting to feel very angry; at Robin, and at herself. This was an unprecedented. How was he good enough to get away from her in the first place? That was annoying; trust a member of the bat family to know just how to disappear.

She just could not take the stress at the moment. She was so tired, and now she was going to spend the last hours of darkness searching for a rebellious teenager. He would definitely be given a lecture about running off when she got her hands on him.

Starfire continued her mental rant as she flew over the streets of San Francisco. As she was making another pass over Third Street, something caught her eye. She swooped down and saw the form of a young man crumpled face-down on the ground.

"Robin!" she exclaimed, dropping to the ground beside him. Two birdarangs were half-buried in his shoulder blades, his cape was shining with blood, and he was unconscious. She lifted him carefully, and then flew off in the direction of Titan's Tower.

* * *

**Titan's Tower**

When Starfire returned to the Tower she was livid. She had some anger issues, and was not content to know that someone had attacked Robin and left him lying in the street. She would get even with whoever it was.

"Cyborg!" she called on her way to the medical bay. She momentarily thought on how much time had been spent in the medical bay recently. But she pushed the thought out of her mind as she placed Robin face-down on a medtable. "CYBORG!" she shouted again, this time into her communicator. It took a few minutes, but he finally walked into the room.

"What the Hell…?" he started, walking over towards Robin.

"I found him like this. So much for him being 'fine'," she snarled, wringing her golden hands together.

"Kory, why don't you go cool down a little, I can handle things from here," Victor sighed, wanting to get the fuming alien out of his way.

"Nice try Victor, but I'm not going anywhere. I'm apparently the only person here who cares about the safety of these children," she said.

Victor looked up at her briefly as he pulled out one of the birdarangs out of Robin's back. Then he turned his full attention to the teen. He knew better than to argue with Kory when she was angry. Irritating her now would not help either one of them, especially him.

As Victor patched Robin up, his hands briefly grazed the back of the youth's neck, but he did not notice the protrusion of skin, or the device beneath it.

* * *

Tim woke up in the medical bay. The lights were all turned off, suggesting it was still night, or at least early morning. His body was sore, and his shoulder blades ached dully, the pain no doubt eased by drugs. He could feel the drugs in his system, painkillers always made him feel drowsy and lightheaded.

He turned onto his side, but the wounds on his back burned, and forced him to lie flat on the medical bed. He sighed in annoyance, and played out the night's events in his mind again. He felt angry, and not just at Psimon and Mammouth, whom he definitely despised, but at just about everyone and everything. The realization disturbed him, but before he could think on it further, he had fallen back to sleep.

* * *

**Titan's Tower – The Next Morning**

The sun shone brightly through the large windows of the San Franciscan Titan's Tower. Kory, dressed in her gardening clothes – cutoff shorts and a tank top, stood in the main room looking out at the gardens below. She had filled the area surrounding the Tower with plants she saved before her home world was destroyed, and looking at it reminded her of Tamaran, if only for a moment.

She sighed heavily, thinking of the old Tower in New York, the one that had been decimated not too long ago. Dick and the other Titans at the time never did get around to rebuilding it; Donna's death had stopped that project. She thought briefly of Jesse Chambers – a.k.a. the speedster Jesse Quick, Argent, and Tempest (Garth – Aqualad), the only Titans members who did not move on to other superhero gigs after Donna's death. Jesse had apparently lost her superpowers and was now a manager in the JSA. And Tempest was home with Dolphin and their child. Argent however, she had no idea about her.

The Titans had been through so many roster changes it was hard to believe that all of the incarnations shared the same name. At least one of the founding members were usually present each time, but they passed in and out as well. This time there were no founding members to lead the group.

Titans Tower always ended up filled with so much drama. Superheroes with hard pasts trying to grapple with the changes in their lives, while sharing the same roof with others, who were sometimes too similar for comfort, always caused problems. How many heroes had claimed that the Titans were their real family, and the place where they finally learned to grow up and mature? Too many to count.

Throughout the major changes in Kory's life, the Titans were always around. But this time it felt different. They were not the same Titans they were before. The founding members had all moved on. And the Tower did not really feel like home without the closest friends she had made there; Nightwing, Raven, and Donna. There was no one in the new group who had the same kind of gentle compassion as Tempest.

She wondered if this group would ever feel like a family.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps. Kory turned in time to see Jade entering the room. "Your gardens are beautiful," Jade said, standing beside the alien.

"Thank you. It's comforting to be reminded of home."

"I'm jealous of you there; I still don't know where 'home' is. I was in a group like the Titans once – Infinity Inc. It was home for a while. But I don't really know what everyone is up to these days, and now that I'm not with Kyle anymore I don't really have any place where I really fit in. Guess that's how I ended up an 'outsider,' huh?" she said, folding her green arms. "It's hard to know where you belong. Once you think you've figured it out, that place is gone too," Jade sighed, looking out at the bay beyond the island.

"Are you happy, being a member of 'the Outsiders'?" Kory asked.

"I guess so," Jade started, turning her gaze back to the Tameranean. "Maybe not. When Roy recruited me, he made sure to tell me it would be all about work. We were all just going to be colleagues, but I don't know, maybe part of me wants them to become more than that."

"I don't think Nightwing would like that," Kory said bitterly.

"Yeah, that's why he didn't stick with the Titans after Donna, right?" Jade asked. Kory nodded. "You care about him, don't you?"

"We were almost married, twice," Kory said. "And we've managed to stay friends regardless of our history, so yes, I do care about him."

"He must be a difficult man to fall in love with," Jade said.

Kory looked up, startled. "I've heard many things about Di-Nightwing before, but never that. He attracts women quite easily."

"He must have changed then. If you saw how he runs the Outsiders, how closed off he is with everyone, you would have to agree with me."

"It doesn't matter anyway, he's still with _her_," Kory said spitefully, her fine features wrinkling in disgust.

"Ah, you don't like _her_? Who is this mystery woman anyway?"

"Have you managed to gain access to Alcatraz yet?" Kory asked, quickly changing the subject. Jade smiled, realizing what Kory was doing.

"Not yet. They feds are still going over it, trying to figure out how everyone managed to escape. So Indigo and I will be here until they're done," Jade said.

"Lovely. Now, if you'll excuse me, Jade, I need to check up on Robin."

* * *

**Titan's Tower – Medical Bay**

Tim, who had woken a few moments before, kept his eyes firmly closed as the door slid open, waiting to see if he could figure out who was coming in. He heard the soft footfalls of a woman's shoe, and assumed that Starfire must have come to check up on him.

He really pretended to be asleep now, the last thing he needed was to deal with Starfire's anger. And it was not as if she would be out of line to yell at him, he did set off those flash-bangs so he could ditch her.

"Come on Tim, wake up already," Kory sighed, staring down at his immobile form. "I need to know who did this to you so I can take them down."

Tim internally brightened; Kory was more concerned about his injuries than what he did. Maybe he should 'wake up' for her. He heard Kory's footsteps rounding the bed, and then he heard the soft click of a communicator.

"Hi Roy, it's Kory. Any change?" She paused, waiting for his reply.

"_Sorry sweetie, but the drugs have been keeping him out. But you know Dick, he's going to be so pissed when he wakes up, that maybe it's better for the rest of us if he sleeps a little longer…" _came Roy's response.

"Well, let me know the second he opens his eyes," Kory answered.

"_Is something wrong? You sound a little off."_

"Yeah, someone attacked Robin last night, and he hasn't woken up yet," she said.

"_Do you know who it was?"_ Roy asked.

"No," Kory responded with a sigh.

"_The Doctor just came out to talk to me. I'll let you know if there's any change."_

There was another click, and Roy had closed the connection.

Tim decided it was time to face the consequences of his actions. And so he slowly opened his eyes. Kory noticed this and raced over to him. "Tim! Are you all right?" she asked.

"My back hurts," he said, shrugging to prove that it was not a big deal.

Kory nodded. "Who did you fight?" she questioned.

"It was Psimon and Mammoth," Tim responded reluctantly, watching as Starfire's eyes flashed in anger. "I know I shouldn't have gone after them myself," he added, it was a foolish thing to do. "But when I saw them, I just couldn't…"

"I understand," Kory said, her voice hard with anger. "If I find them…" she let her words trail off, leaving Tim's imagination to provide images of the pair half-dead.

* * *

Kory allowed Robin to return to his room, sans lecture. She decided that it could wait, the most important thing was that he recovered. He had relayed the whole fight to her, and the fact that he was electrocuted.

However, something about the timing sounded wrong. Kory was so sure that she had passed that intersection in between the time he was attacked, and the time that she found him. Something did not make sense.

* * *

**Titan's Tower - Robin's Room**

Tim collapsed on his bed, and saw that someone had returned the utility belt from the Robin suit he ruined the night before to his room. He tossed the belt off of the bed and onto the floor, frustrated with circumstances. He felt angry, and he did not really know why. It was bothering him, but the fact that he did not know why, only made him angrier. It was a vicious cycle.

He laid back on his pillows, attempting in vain to get back to sleep. He idly scratched the back of his neck as he stared at the ceiling.

_"Feeling okay?"_ a metallic distorted voice asked. Tim jumped a foot off of his bed, and then searched for the source of the voice. _"In the utility belt."_ The disembodied voice responded to his thoughts. Tim grabbed the utility belt and pulled out the communicator Slade had given him. He flipped it open to reveal Slade's masked face.

"What do you want?" Tim asked wearily. "I'm not joining you, if that's what you're after." Tim had not told Kory about his conversation with Slade, and really had no intention to at all.

_"No, I just wanted to talk,"_ Slade's voice chuckled.

"About what?" Tim questioned.

_"Your friend Nightwing, and why everyone thinks I'm such a dangerous, evil person,"_ Slade explained. _"I am of course, referring to the area of the computer files you were restricted from."_

"How do you know about that?"

Slade's response was to laugh. Tim withheld a groan of frustration. _"I am prepared to tell you everything, and don't think you'll just have to take my word for it. I have evidence."_

"Evidence of what?" Tim asked, his curiosity peaking.

_"Insert the following code into your computer, and I'll show you,"_ Slade said.

Tim was not sure why he did what Slade said. He knew that he should not, he knew it was probably some sort of trick, but he did anyway. Someone, even if it was Slade, was willing to tell him what was going on, and not treat him like a kid. Nightwing hardly ever treated him as less than an equal, and the fact that he was keeping this from Tim hurt. Tim just wanted to know and be done with it, and then maybe this horrible anger he was feeling would begin to fade.

He typed the code, and his screen flickered to life with an image of Slade. _"Are you sure you want to see what I'm about to show you?"_ Slade asked, more for dramatic effect than anything.

"Yeah, show me."

_"A while ago, when the Titans consisted of Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, and Robin, I first met them. I made Robin an offer he couldn't refuse." _Slade paused and chuckled. _"And he's been trying to cover up what he did ever since."_ Tim stared quizzically at Slade's face. What could Dick possibly have done? _"You see Robin, the other Robin – Nightwing, was weak. He allowed others to choose his life for him. He forsook what he wanted and what he enjoyed to follow in the path others laid out for him. And so he has wasted his talents."_

Tim raised an eyebrow; a lot could be said about Dick, but having 'wasted his talents' was certainly not one of them. "What are you saying Slade?" Tim asked.

"_I made Robin I the same offer I made you last night."_ Slade allowed the words to sink in before he continued. _"And he accepted."_

"No way! Now I know you're lying! There's no way he'd join up with you!" Tim protested.

"_Isn't there? Come now Robin, I told you I had proof, so hold onto your temper and watch."_

Tim stared at the screen angrily as it switched to black. Then he saw an image that made his heart catch in his throat.

Dick – it did not matter that he was younger, Tim had studied Robin when he was young, he had fixated on the 'Boy Wonder' and could recognize him anywhere – was dressed in a suit of entirely black – save the coppery orange color on half of his chest. Affixed to the suit was a metallic "S" and armor that ran up the length of his arms and legs. He was also wearing a metal utility belt, and a sadistic-looking black mask. There was no mistaking it; Dick had to have been working for Slade. But why? There had to be a reason behind it.

Then Tim paid attention to what Dick was doing – he was breaking into a Wayne Enterprises building. Tim watched in disbelief as his older brother stole some device and then evaded the guards, racing through the smoking building.

He saw Dick hide from the guards and then jump down, to be chased by… the Titans?

Tim felt a sense of vertigo as he watched Dick attack his teammates, destroying the expanse between them, and then fading away before the smoke cleared.

There had to be a logical explanation for all of this. There just _had_ to be.

And there was more.

The display changed to show Dick blow the doors open in another Wayne building. He reached for a device, but was stopped when the Titans arrived. Dick escaped from them through the air vents, and then appeared again at the roof. The Titans came after him, and he attacked them again. He saw him punching at Raven, evading Beast Boy, and then using Cyborg's own momentum against him. Then Dick came face to face with Starfire. Tim clutched the desk until his fingers turned white as Dick and Starfire faced off.

Then the screen went black.

The screen came to life again, this time to show Dick jump on them from above, attacking viciously. Then he shot off four bombs and escaped.

The screen switched to Slade's face. _"So, Robin, what do you think about your 'mentor' now?"_ Slade asked.

"You… You're tricking me!" Tim shouted. "You're trying to mess with me so I'll join you! But it isn't going to work, Slade!"

"_This is no trick Robin. You saw it with your own eyes. How can you deny that?"_

"I must be missing something. The context is all screwed up! There had to be a reason!" Tim said.

"_If there was, then why did he never tell you about any of this? Good ole perfect Nightwing would have told you all about his youthful escapades, wouldn't he? Unless they were more 'indiscretions',"_ Slade said.

"You… you're a liar!" Tim said, jumping up from the desk.

"_You're angry, I can tell. But you're not angry with me, are you? No, you're angry at **him**, and why shouldn't you be? He's the one who's lied to you. He's the one who made himself out to be perfect. Isn't that true?"_

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Tim yelled, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.

"_I'll leave you to consider what you've just seen. Have a nice day Robin."_

_

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_**A/N: **I would love to know what you thought. 


	12. Lies, Betrayal, and Decpetion

**A/N:** Better late than never my friends. I've reached a few roadblocks in this story, and it's taken me some time to work them out. However, I am sure you'll all enjoy the next few chapters as they take form.

I don't know about everyone else out there, but I cannot wait until Thanksgiving. I am in dire need of some days off. Plus, after Thanksgiving I get to decorate for Christmas...

Anyhow, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You readers out there are awesome, and receiving reviews makes me so happy!

Disclaimer: They're not mine. This story line however...

Okay everyone, enjoy!**

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**If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 12: Lies, Betrayal, and Deception

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He opened his eyes wearily, his body and mind slowed by drugs. He blinked to clear his vision, and found himself staring at a stark white ceiling. He groaned, slowly dragging himself into an uncomfortable sitting position. Before he could fully grasp his situation, he heard the door thrown open and something heavy land on his legs.

"Unca Dick!" a cheery voice cried. Before his mind could connect the voice with a face, two small arms had been thrust around his neck, and sleek hair rubbed against his injured jaw.

"Woah! Lian, let the man breathe!" Roy Harper called, watching as his daughter, Lian, enveloped 'uncle' Dick in a tight, embrace. Lian was the daughter of the assassin Cheshire, with whom Roy had been 'involved.' After Roy took her from Cheshire and brought her to the U.S. she spent most of her time at Titan's Tower. As such, the Titans – especially Dick and Donna were her family.

Lian obediently released Dick and shifted so that she was sitting on the edge of the mattress. The five-year-old, black-haired girl stared up at him, a wide smile on her face.

"Hey Lian," Dick said. "And you too Roy," he added to the red-haired archer who was now standing beside him. Roy looked tired, as if he had not slept well recently.

Dick smiled slightly, remembering his and Roy's tumultuous friendship. When they were kids, Roy had rebelled against Dick as leader of the Teen Titans, and practically seethed with hatred for the aerialist. Roy eventually came to regard Dick as a friend. After Dick helped Roy overcome his addiction to heroin however, Roy became Dick's best friend. Roy would do anything for him, and he knew it. That was how it was with all of the 'original Titans.' However, at times like these, Dick was glad to have Roy as a friend. The other members of the 'family' had troubles of their own to take care of, and had drifted apart.

Wally West, known to the superhero community as The Flash was Dick's oldest and closest friend. He had left the Titans behind to take up his mentor's empty seat in the JLA after Barry died. A lot had happened to change Wally's relationship with everyone. A version of him from an alternate dimension caused trouble. When he tried to help Donna repair her memory she resented him for making her 'perfect' and ended up rebelling against the mold. However, the Titans managed to work out some of their problems, and Wally was still a part of 'the family.'

Garth, who was originally called Aqualad, but who had long since graduated into the role of Tempest considered the other OT's his true family. Unfortunately, his wife, Dolphin, forced him to leave the team after one of Dick's cases went array and nearly cost Garth his life. He had gone to Optitron with the other Titans to hear a business proposal the same day Donna was killed, and therefore was with the others for the short period surrounding her death. But, as the kindest and gentlest of the Titans, he had not taken her death very well.

The last OT was Donna Troy, and she was not with them anymore.

"How're you feeling, Robbie?" Roy asked, playfully cuffing his shoulder.

"Like I got pummeled by Mammoth?" Dick offered with a grin. "Where are we?" he questioned.

"S.T.A.R. labs," Roy answered. "I figured you would prefer it to the Manor," he added with a conspiratorial grin.

"Yes. Thank you," Dick answered, picturing himself stuck in the house with the Bat. He shuddered, and then fully sat up on the bed. Lian fluffed the pillows behind his back in a motherly fashion, so accustomed to living around constantly-injured superheroes. "Thanks, angel," Dick nodded to Lian.

Roy watched his friend closely, smiling in spite of himself. Dick looked much better than he had. The bandages on his face had been removed, his nose perfectly set. Some of the lesser injuries had healed, and his complexion was back to its normal healthy tone. But still, Dick looked so tired, and weak. With Dick having always been the strong, formidable leader, it felt strange to see him in such a way. However, he knew that in no time Dick would be up on his feet staring down criminals and tossing out his characteristic quips. He momentarily shivered remembering how frightened he was when he thought Dick might die, that he would lose another member of his family.

"Could you get me some water?" Dick asked Lian kindly. She nodded and raced out of the room on his command. Of course the request had double meaning; he needed some time to talk to Roy without a kid in the room.

"Have you discovered anything about the break-in?" Dick asked; all business.

"Nope. FBI wouldn't let us in. Jade's working on it though; she should be getting clearance within the next few days," Roy said, pulling up a chair.

"Anything else going on?" Dick questioned with a stern look.

Roy regarded Dick for a moment, knowing that in this situation, most people would lie to an injured superhero so he would not jeopardize his recovery. But this was Dick, and it was always a mistake to lie to him. So Roy chose to gloss over the details instead.

"San Francisco's been a mess. Criminals have been tearin' the place up ever since the break-out. The Outsiders stayed for a while to help out, but the Titans have it pretty much under control now."

Then he swiftly changed the subject before Dick had a chance to question anything he had said. "Now, enough about all that. How. Are. You?"

"I feel all right, considering. But as soon as I get Dr. Charles in here to cut off the drugs I know I'll be feeling a lot worse."

"Why not keep the meds, buddy? Does it go against your 'bat code' to _not_ be in pain?" Roy grinned.

Dick shrugged off the comment with a glare.

"Uh-oh, the 'bat-glare'," Roy snickered.

"Bite me, Harper."

"Oh how I've missed you," Roy smiled. His face clouded over again as his mind ventured back to the day of the break-out.

"What is it?" Dick asked.

"Just… don't _ever_ do that again," Roy breathed. "And I mean it too. You are not allowed to get killed."

"I'll keep that in mind," Dick responded, only half-joking. "But hey, you know none of us can control that," Dick added. "And when did Roy Harper get soft?"

"When Donna was killed," Roy said.

Dick's expression immediately darkened. "Roy… I…" he began, but he could not do it, he could not bring himself to say it.

Ever since Donna's death he had carried around the weight of his guilt over his loss alone. Troia died protecting Nightwing. But it was not just two superheroes; Donna Troy was killed to save Dick Grayson. The two had been friends for so long, and both were protective of each other. Once, when they were younger, when she was Wonder Girl and he Robin, Brother Blood had nearly ended his life. Donna had turned and proclaimed that if Robin was dead, she would kill Blood. And she meant it. Their relationship went beyond that of colleagues, they were best friends. He could trust Donna implicitly, and she had felt the same about him. He would have died for her, and he just wished she had not died for him.

Dick looked up and saw Roy watching him warily, waiting for the end of Dick's sentence. Dick did not say anything else. He knew Roy would understand if he told him, but he could not.

Roy regarded Dick with suspicion. Once again he came close to gaining the knowledge of what about Donna's death tormented Dick the most. But he would not tell him. Roy sighed in frustration, and was about to make a comment when Lian returned.

She handed Dick a glass of water, and pushed her way onto the bed again. Assuming the adults had received sufficient time to talk, she insisted on telling Dick in full detail exactly how horrible he looked when he was first brought to S.T.A.R. labs.

Roy stayed silent as Lian spoke, his mind still consumed with thoughts of his two best friends, Donna Troy and Dick Grayson. He was frustrated that Dick would not tell him what happened. _'Maybe Wally will have better luck,'_ he thought wryly.

"How's Tim doing?" Dick queried when Lian had stopped talking.

"I heard he got in a fight last night. Kory was pretty angry about it," Roy responded, making a mental note to call Kory soon. The last thing he needed was that hot-headed alien breathing down his throat.

"Is he all right?" Dick asked with concern.

"He's fine. You want me to get a com in here so you can talk to him?" Roy asked.

"Yeah, thanks."

* * *

**Titan's Tower12:00 pm**

Koriand'r walked down the halls of Titan's Tower, her heart light with joy. Roy Harper had just called, and assured her that Dick was awake and doing fine. Smiling, she headed towards Tim's room, excited to give him the good news.

She stopped outside his door to find it closed. She gently rapped on it, and when she did not receive a response, punched in the security code to open it. Stunned, she surveyed Tim's empty bedroom. It was in complete disrepair. Upturned furniture, books, and ripped papers were strewn about the floor. The Robin suits had been ripped from the closet. Kory stepped forward and heard the crunch of glass beneath her foot. She searched for the source and saw an upside down picture frame surrounded in shards. Carefully, she lifted up the frame. The picture inside had been ripped – most likely by the glass when it broke – and the picture was of Tim and Dick.

"What?" Kory began, scanning the area. She pulled out the active com, and spoke in a clipped tone. "Roy, I'm going to have to call you back."

She walked over to the closet and found that Tim's clothes were gone, along with the duffel bag he brought with him to the Tower. "Tim, what is going on? Where are you?"

* * *

**STAR Labs**

Roy turned to Dick, a confused expression on his face. "What is it Roy?" Dick asked. "Did something happen to Tim?"

"I don't know…" Roy said slowly. "Kory just said she'd have to call me back…"

"What does that mean!" Dick demanded, his worry evident.

"I… I'm sure everything's fine…" Roy offered, even though his feelings were to the contrary. "You know Kory… maybe she caught him working out when he wasn't supposed to and is giving him an earful," Roy grinned.

"No, something's wrong," Dick said seriously. "I have to…" Dick began, swinging his legs out from under the blankets, and noticing with dismay the weakness in his right leg.

"Stay right where you are! You are not going anywhere. I'll contact Titans Tower, and if they don't tell me anything, then I'll make an exception to my self-preservation policies, and call Batman. We'll have this Robin situation worked out in a minute. Lian – make sure he doesn't get up."

"All right daddy." Dick looked at the little girl, who smiled sheepishly at him. He made a move to stand, and she put her arms on him in an attempt to prevent it.

"Traitor," he accused. Her only response was a giggle.

* * *

Roy punched in the code for Titan's Tower and waited for someone to respond. The screen sprang to life with an image of Bart, aka Impulse staring back at him. "Hey Bart, is Robin around?"

"Um… no," Bart responded hesitantly, regarding Roy with unease. "He packed his stuff earlier and left – said he had to go home."

"Oh, is that all? Jeeze, Kory sounded real worried when I talked to her," Roy sighed with relief.

"Yeah, that's 'cause Robin didn't tell anyone he was leaving… I saw him on his way out," Bart responded sheepishly.

Roy shook his head in irritation. "All right, well thanks."

* * *

As the archer entered his friend's room the first sound he heard was that of Dick Grayson speaking in a low voice to Lian. He paused out of sight of the pair, listening in on the conversation. He was shocked and astounded by what he heard. Role model leader Dick Grayson was attempting to bribe his daughter into going against her father's wishes.

"Unbelievable," Roy said, shaking his head.

Dick looked up at him guility, but his eyes revelaed his worry for the secondboy who had takenup his name and costume.

"Tim's fine by the way, apparently he had to go home," Roy added to relieve Dick's fears.

"Oh," Dick said, disappointed.

Tim Drake lived in Gotham with his father and stepmother. His ever-busy father had no idea that his only son spent his nights, and indeed many weekends and vacations masquerading as Batman's partner and member of San Francisco's Teen Titans. If he ever did find out… well, no one wanted to know how that would end up. Oracle assisted Tim in creating excuses for his trips to the Tower, in the form of legitimate-sounding math and science camps.

For Dick Grayson, this all meant that he would not be able to contact Tim until at least nightfall, if he snuck out to join Batman on patrol. However, since he did not know why Tim had to go home, there was a good chance that he would be unable to talk to Tim for quite a while.

Dick asked Roy to hand him the com, and then set it to Robin's frequency. The response was silence; Tim had already turned off his communicator.

* * *

**San Francisco Airport**

Tim sat, unmoving, in a hard plastic chair in the San Francisco Airport, eagerly awaiting the next flight to Gotham. However, he had not been called back by his father, there was no family crisis he had to attend to. He just needed to leave San Francisco. He needed to leave Slade and the Titans, and give himself a chance to think things over. He had not really liked to Bart, he was going home; home, where he could avoid all communications with the superhero world due to his father's ignorance of his 'night life.'

His mind was reeling with thoughts of what Slade told him the night before. After Slade broke off the connection, Robin ran scans on the video feed he had watched. While he was no Oracle, Robin was quite handy with computers, and everything he did proved that the images were real.

It was real.

But how could it be true?

After spending years hero-worshipping Robin, and then Nightwing, he had never come across something like this before. The only thing that came close to it were the few times when Dick had been under the control of the crazed leader of an ancient cult, Brother Blood. But that was mind-control, and it was evident that Grayson was not acting on his own accord.

The images Slade showed him of Dick were so realistic. The way he moved, everything about him was normal. Except the colors he was wearing, and his objectives. But still… there was no way he was being controlled. No, he had gone against everything Batman had taught him, everything he and the Titans stood for…

But why? Why would he do that? And how did he end up back in with the Titans? Did he change his mind and rejoin them?

No, they would not do that! They would not cover for him if he switched sides on purpose! There had to be a reasonable explanation behind all of this! Maybe it was part of a plan to catch Slade, or maybe he was being blackmailed. Either way, Dick Grayson would not have become a villain. And if he did, even the Titans would not have protected him after he changed his mind. There was a reason for all of this, and he would find out what!

Tim stood up abruptly, intent on marching himself straight back to Titan's Tower and demand an explanation from anyone and everyone until he got to the truth. However, just as he turned to go, a twinge of pain erupted in the back of his neck, and he was suddenly filled with malice and doubt.

Lies! All he was ever told were lies! Dick pretended to be an older-brotherly figure to him. Dick had brought him to Bludhaven to train him, shared anecdotes with him, taught him how to work well with Batman, and yet he lied to him!

Tim felt betrayed, and the mere thought of Dick Grayson filled him with such anger that he forced his mind away from it.

He was going home. And he would put Slade, Nightwing, and the Titans as far behind him as possible. Nightwing and the Titans no longer had a place in his life. Gotham was all that mattered now. He would go back to being Batman's partner, and never have to deal with any of this again.

"_Flight 103 to Gotham City is now boarding."_

Decision made, Tim picked up his small duffle bag, and marched resolutely to the gate.

* * *

As Tim boarded the plane, a man in a hideout in the worst section of San Francisco watched his screens with great interest. A blinking dot gave away Robin's location.

"You can run little bird, but you will still be mine," Slade laughed in his nearly-empty lair.

* * *

**A/N:** A little shorter than usual, I know. But this was a transition chapter, so it had to be. There is still much to come though. Before anyone asks about what went on with Wally, I'm not really too sure. I just have comics that hint to things without explaining them, and I didn't even have those comics with me as I wrote.

Anyway though, is everyone liking how I put in more background information in each chapter? I figured it would be a lot easier to understand that way.

I would love to know what you thought.

_-Sarah Shima_


	13. Converge on Gotham

**A/N:** It's been a while since my last update, for which I apologize. I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, since I'm setting everything up for the end of the fic, I didn't want to leave anything important for the wrong chapter. However, I think it turned out pretty good.

Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing all along, and who are faithfully reading this fanfiction, I'm so glad to know you find it at least entertaining.

So here's chapter 13, I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone in this story.

* * *

**If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 13: Converge on Gotham

* * *

**Titan's Tower 12:30p.m.**

Kory Anders examined the disarray that existed within Robin's room at Titan's Tower. "What could possibly have happened here?" she asked aloud. Still holding the ruined photograph and the remnants of its frame in her right hand, she began sifting through the debris of his belongings.

"Dude," a voice breathed behind her. She turned to see Bart in the doorway. "Oh, hey Kory, Arsenal said I should tell you that Tim left."

"He **left**?" she asked, incredulous. How could he just take off without telling anyone?

"Yeah… uh… family emergency or something, he took off earlier. He should be back in Gotham soon."

"Thank you Bart, but do you have any idea what's been bothering him?" she asked, gesturing to the destruction in the room.

"I don't know, Kory. He's been really stressed out about things though. First when Cyborg didn't want him to be leader anymore, then that whole deal at Alcatraz, getting pulled off active duty, whatever happened last night, and with Nigthwing having still been out of it… Maybe he just needed to let off some steam. You know, that's how the bats deal with their issues," Bart offered.

"Somehow, this seems more than that," Kory said, fingering the photograph. "I just wish I knew what."

* * *

**S.T.A.R. Labs 10:00p.m.**

After speaking with Barbara Gordon, the computer mastermind known as 'Oracle' to the superhero community, Dick insisted on attempting to contact Robin. However, he had no luck. The young vigilante's communicator was off, and the tracker just showed that he was at home. It was not as if Dick could just call the house, and say "Oh hi, this is Nightwing, I was just wondering if Robin was in?" or the "This is Dick Grayson – you know, Bruce Wayne's adopted kid – and I was calling to see if Tim was busy."

Since Tim's father did not know he was Robin, Nightwing could not call him. And since it would seem bizarre for 24-year-old Dick Grayson to be hanging around with a teenager that option was out as well. He was momentarily tempted to call Batman, but that would do him no good if Tim were at home. And if Tim was not busy, he would have contacted Nightwing himself… wouldn't he? Of course he would. From what Dick had heard, Tim had been distraught when he was injured.

So he just declared defeat, and slumped back down in bed, attempting to suppress the feeling that something awful was happening.

**

* * *

Gotham City 11:00p.m. **

Batman patrolled alone. Crouching on a gargoyle, he stared out into the city he vowed to protect, searching for signs of crime or violence. It was quiet in Gotham. However, 'quiet' is a relative term. For Batman, quiet meant a score of recent, unsolved murder cases he had to clear up. Quiet meant that most of the nefarious criminals were still locked up.

Noticing a gang fight occurring in an alley below, Batman swooped down on the scene, ready to break it up. However, a red and green clad individual beat him to it, leaping into the crowd, knocking them down as he descended.

"Robin," Batman said tonelessly as he joined his junior partner. Robin merely waved at Batman as he continued to fight. "Shouldn't you still be in San Francisco?"

"Wasn't really my place," Robin responded, smashing a roundhouse punch into a thug's face. "I don't belong there. I told you when you first got me to join – the Titans are Nightwing's thing, I want no part in it."

Batman nodded, knowing that something must have happened to upset Tim. However, it was neither the time nor the place to have that discussion. Maybe after patrol, but not now.

The two finished tying up the gang bangers, and called in their location to the police. Then they continued their rounds of Gotham, stopping a few minor burglaries and fights along the way.

**

* * *

The BatCave 2:00a.m. **

When Robin and Batman entered the batcave, it was evident to both parties that a serious discussion was imminent. Batman pulled his cowl off and headed for the lockers to change, and Robin followed suit.

The two met back out in the main cave, the glow of the Cray computer consoles illuminating against the penetrating gloom. Bruce looked down on Tim, his expression blank, but inside he felt a well of concern for the boy, it was plain that something was troubling him. For Tim's part, he fidgeted and refused to meet Bruce's gaze. Normally, Bruce would not take up time discussing 'feelings,' but more often than not, it would result in a poor performance, and that could be dangerous for both of them.

"So, here goes nothing," Bruce whispered. Opting for the direct approach, Bruce turned to Tim and said, "What is bothering you?"

"None of your business," Tim answered in an uncharacteristic display of disrespect. Bruce turned on him, surprised.

"You know that anything that affects your performance out there is my business. So, come on, just tell me what it is and then…"

"And then what? We'll give each other a hug, have some cocoa, and then everything will be 'all better'?" Tim asked sarcastically. "This isn't just going to go away," Tim said, turning from Bruce.

"Tim…" Bruce began.

However, Tim felt his frustration build, and decided that maybe he could unload some of this emotional pressure on Bruce. "Has anyone you trusted ever lied to you?" he asked, cutting off Bruce's words.

"I…" Bruce began, wondering where Tim was going with this. If this were another bout of adolescent angst, or some girl trouble…

"I don't mean some little 'no I didn't ruin your favorite sweater' lie, I mean a big one, something that makes you realize that the person might not even really be who you think they are," Tim explained. He paused, and then turned towards Bruce. "Have you ever experienced that? Of course **you** haven't, you don't trust anyone," Tim mumbled. Bruce chose to ignore the comment, waiting for Tim to explain what was going on.

"I just can't believe he could have…" Tim began, and then stopped. For some reason, he felt he did not want to share the whole story with Bruce. "He… I… I **trusted** him, I looked up to him, and to find out this whole time that I've been… that he wasn't who I thought…" Tim sputtered. Bruce listened in silence, attempting to wrest some meaning out of the scattered words. It was clear that Tim was upset, that was all.

"Who are you talking about?" Bruce asked.

"That two-faced, liar – Dick," Tim spat the words with malice.

"I'm sorry, did you say Dick?" Bruce asked in disbelief. Tim hero-worshipped Dick and held him in high regard as an 'older brother' type figure in his life. What could have happened between them to make Tim so angry?

"What did Dick lie to you about?" Bruce asked.

"Figures you wouldn't know," Tim breathed. His heart began to race, and the back of his neck felt hot. The cave suddenly seemed so small, he just needed to get out of there. "I gotta get out of here, see you tomorrow night," Tim said, heading for his motorcycle before Bruce could stop him, and heading back out into the night.

**

* * *

Alcatraz Prison 9:00a.m. / S.T.A.R. Labs **

"All right Roy, everything set up on your end?" Jade spoke into her headset as she approached the Alcatraz Prison, both her and Indigo flanked by a pair of guards.

_"Yeah Jade, the system we set up is great, it's like 'Wing and I are right there with you two,"_ Roy Harper's voice responded.

The FBI had finally approved the pair of Outsiders for entry, partially through one of Arsenal's old contacts from the government agency, Checkmate. He had worked with Checkmate for a while, it was, after all, due to Checkmate that he met Lian's mother in the first place.

Jade and Indigo were equipped with mini cameras, relaying everything to the screens in Nightwing's room at S.T.A.R. Labs. Nightwing, still in hospital clothes sat propped up in bed, while Roy stood beside him watching on.

The pair began moving through the prison carefully. Indigo ran scans along the way, while Jade made observations. Jade stopped abruptly as they passed the main wall, gazing at a small black disk stuck to the stone. Jade stepped up to it, aiming her camera at the disk so that its image was relayed back to Nightwing and Arsenal.

Nightwing's eyes widened as he saw the stylized 'S' logo on the disk. "Shit," he said.

"Well, I'll be," Arsenal added, recognizing it as well. "Looks like we know who's been supplying Psimon," he said grimly.

"Slade," Nightwing growled.

"_I'm assuming you boys know who this belongs to,"_ Jade said. _"Any idea why they gave it to the Fearsome Five?"_

"I can't even believe he's involved at all. Breaking Mammoth out of prison doesn't fit his usual MO," Nightwing said, frowning. "There's always a much larger plan when you're dealing with Slade.

"Jade, continue searching," Nightwing ordered, momentarily turning from the monitors and thinking.

Jade continued walking, and was led by the guards to the control room that housed the first dampener. "Looks like your friend Slade likes to advertise," Jade said, turning the camera to point at the Slade-logo embossed disrupter that covered the dampener.

"This disrupter caused a chain reaction, electrically shorting out the other dampeners that are connected, causing them to be disabled," Indigo announced.

_"Thanks Indy, but I think we figured that out for ourselves,"_ Roy responded. _"Keep us posted."_

* * *

Roy and Dick watched through the rest of the tour, but did not learn much more. So, once they were done, Roy shut off the connection with a sigh. 

Roy turned to Dick, sharing a shock/enraged expression with him. Neither said anything for a moment, as Dick struggled to figure out what Slade was up to, and while Roy watched Dick's face for some sign of a solution.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this before," Dick suddenly exclaimed. "It was right there in front of me, and I've been so stupid!"

"What are you talking about dude?" Roy asked, wondering why Dick was getting himself so worked up.

"Remember when Shimmer and Jinx fought us at City Hall?" Roy nodded. "We couldn't figure out why, or what they were after, but that's just it, they weren't after anything."

"You lost me already," Roy said.

"That box Slade sent me, it arrived at Headquarters while we were at City Hall. Shimmer and Jinx were probably paid off to keep us busy."

"Oh. But why would Slade go through all of that trouble when he could have used FedEx?" Roy questioned, scratching his head.

"That same day, Slade had contacted Titan's Tower, remember?" Dick pressed.

"Yeah, of course I remember, **I'm** not the one who got his head bashed in by Mammoth, remember?" Roy responded, annoyed.

"Slade's been having the Fearsome Five… Four… do his dirty work for him," Dick announced.

"So he sent Psimon to open up Alcatraz so he could kill you?" Roy questioned, looking at Dick with a mixture of surprise and fear.

"No, if Slade wanted me dead, he would have killed me himself. He just needed me out of the way, and that's what scares me. He's been working while I've been asleep, and I need to figure out what he was up to. It had to have…" Dick paused, and then turned on Roy again.

"Roy, when you were at Titan's Tower, did you see anything suspicious? Anything strange? Anything that involved Tim?"

"Well, Tim found a mini-camera on the roof of the Tower. It exploded in his hand." Dick's eyes widened in response. "I wasn't there, that's what he said happened, but there was something strange… like he wasn't telling me everything. And after we moved you here I heard that he had gone out looking for a fight even though he was taken off active duty. Kory said he got pretty roughed up. Then he took off yesterday without telling anyone."

Dick stared out into space thoughtfully. "Where's Lian?" he asked suddenly.

"Lian? I dropped her off at the Tower last night. Jade's going to bring her home when the Outsiders go back to New York. The nanny's on standby."

"Well then, in that case, I need to get to Gotham."

"Gotham? What! What do you think you're doing!" he added as Dick began unhooking the monitors around him and sat up in bed. "You're not well yet!" Roy admonished.

"Oh come on Roy, when has that stopped any of us before?" he asked. He ripped the IV out, and Roy winced as a reflex. Dick lowered his bare feet to the floor, his legs shaking, and once he managed to stand, he immediately leaned his weight back against the bed, a wave of dizziness passing over him.

Roy looked torn. On one hand, he wanted to be the reckless guy everyone knew him as, and toss Dick a 'Wing suit and then get the hell out of there. Then there was the other side, where he knew Dick should not be leaving yet, that he should stay until he was able to at least stand on his own power.

Dick looked down at the pajamas he was wearing and frowned. "Roy? Got any of my suits stashed around here somewhere?" he asked.

"Actually no," Roy said honestly.

"All right then, we'll have to stop in Bludhaven first so I can grab some gear. You have any spare clothes for the ride?" Dick asked, staring at Roy intently.

Roy refused to meet his gaze for several moments, weighing his options. "Roy?" Dick asked. "Roy, come on, don't get all rule-abiding on me here. Roy." Roy walked towards a corner of the room where several duffle bags lay piled on top of each other, keeping his back to Dick. "Roy, how many times have I helped you? And this isn't even for me, if Slade's after Tim. Come o-"

"Oh just shut up!" Roy shouted, cutting off Dick's words. As he spoke Roy quickly threw something at him. Instinctively, Dick's hands shot up in front of him and caught the… whatever it was. Dick looked down and saw that Roy had tossed him Roy's own clothes: a pair of jeans, belt, and T-shirt at him. A pair of shoes also sat on the floor.

"Let's get this over with," Roy sighed. "And don't blame me if you get killed!" he added as he left the room, slamming the door behind him. Smiling, Dick quickly made to change his clothes.

* * *

A few moments later, Dick shuffled out of the hospital room to find Roy Harper leaning against the wall next to the door. "You need to lose some weight," Dick smiled, pointing at the Roy's leather belt that was now holding up the pants Dick was wearing. Roy frowned when he saw that Dick had poked a new hole in it. 

"Bite me, Grayson," he said.

"Is that an invitation?" Dick smiled. "Now come on, let's get the hell out of here," Dick added.

**

* * *

Blüdhaven 2p.m. **

Bludhaven, the ugly sister city to Gotham, was held as the most dangerous city in the country, fraught with crime, and violence. After Batman assigned Nightwing to solve a murder in Bludhaven, Nightwing decided to make it his home city. He acquired an apartment in a dilapidated building in one of the poorer sections, and took a job at the local cop bar to listen in on the happenings in the city. His presence there was slowly helping.

Roy landed the pequod near the Bludhaven harbor, in an abandoned warehouse district. Looking at the smog-filled city, he shook his head, and then helped his friend out of the vehicle. "How far is your garage?" Roy asked.

"Not too far, come on," Dick said, pointing in the general direction of a warehouse he used to house his vehicles. Dick was moving much slower than usual, stopping every few moments to catch his breath. Roy shook his head at Dick's stubbornness and only hoped they would reach the garage soon.

Dick let Roy into the seemingly abandoned warehouse with a sly smile on his face. The pair walked into the main room, and Roy whistled. In the center was Dick's muscle car, but that was not what was impressive. It was the various chassis hanging from the ceiling that caught Roy's eye. "Nice," he said. "So, which one we taking?" he asked.

"The plain one," Dick snorted. "And if we run into anyone I know, you'll have to say it's yours, because little ole Dick Grayson can't afford a car," Dick laughed.

"Man oh man, what would all your new friends think if they saw the size of your bank account, dude?" Roy asked, approaching the car.

"I suspect that Clancy, my superintendent, would up my rent," he smiled.

* * *

Dick unlocked the front door to the building quietly, using his stealth skills to enter. He looked around, and then motioned it safe for Roy to follow him towards the stairs. Roy instinctively grabbed Dick's arm and pulled it over his shoulder as they approached the steps, knowing that he was still dizzy and weak. "Doesn't this building have an elevator?" Roy asked. 

"Yes," Dick wheezed. "But if we use it, then we'll attract unwanted attention…"

The words were barely out of his mouth before a young woman with short, black hair walked into the hallway and spotted them. "Grayson, is that you?" she asked. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, um, hi Clancy," Dick sputtered, attempting to hide his face, since she would undoubtedly question the bruising.

"That's your super?" Roy asked, arching an eyebrow.

Dick sighed inwardly. _At least he left his bow and arrows in the car…_

Betraying Dick, he turned to face the woman, a seductive grin on his lips. "Hello Miss… Clancy, was it?" he began. "I'm Dick's friend, Roy Harper."

"Hello Mr. Harper," she said in an Irish brogue. "I'm Bridget Clancy."

Roy opened his mouth to flirt a little more, but realized that he could not keep his company's attention. Clancy was gaping at Dick, who had been thrown off balance by Roy's sudden exit, and was leaning against the wall. "Grayson, what happened to you?"

"What?" Dick asked, feigning innocence, Clancy did not buy it.

"Your face," she said.

"Oh, right, right. I fell off my bike," he announced with a sheepish shrug.

"Yeah, Dick is such a klutz…" Roy laughed, touching Clancy's arm to regain her attention. However, she shrugged his hand away, and raced up the two steps to see if Dick was okay. "How is it, that so many beautiful women flock to Dick?" Roy whispered to himself. "I mean, I'm better looking, more athletically skilled, and I'm famous. Jeeze. Some people are so underappreciated."

He looked back up to the stairs to see Clancy inquiring about Dick's health, and fussing over him, while Dick tried to make her go away as kindly as possible. "Ah, Clancy dear, I'm awfully sorry, but Dick and I need to get to his apartment right away. It could be a matter of life and death," Roy said seriously. Too seriously apparently, for Clancy did not believe him. She did however, giggle a bit, and then say goodbye to Dick, leaving the pair alone on the stairs.

Roy hooked Dick's arm over his shoulder again, shaking his head. "Did you date her?" he asked.

"Few times," Dick responded. "But my 'night job' got in the way."

"Figures," Roy sighed. "You Bats are all the same."

"Would you keep your voice down?" Dick hissed. "Just because the whole world knows who you are and no one gets hurt, does not mean—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, 'secret identities,' 'protect those you love,' 'never have a meaningful relationship outside the spandex,' I got it, all right?" Roy responded. "Now come on, you're pretty heavy for a dude your size."

* * *

Once inside the apartment, Roy grabbed a beer and sat down on the couch. Dick used the door connecting his apartment to the one next door, that belonged to the fictitious Dr. Fledermaus, and returned to his apartment with his Nightwing gear slung over his arm. Sitting down at his computer, he brought up his connection with Oracle. 

The Oracle icon appeared on the screen for several moments before it was replaced by the face of Barbara Gordon. Barbara flashed him a smile, _"Hey Hunk Wonder, what do you need?"_ she asked. However, her expression changed abruptly when she noticed the back of Roy Harper's head across the room. She immediately changed the screen back to the Oracle icon, complete with the computerized voice. Oracle only revealed her identity to the close members of the Batclan, and some of her team of vigilantes known as the Birds of Prey. The ex-Batgirl shared an off-and-on relationship with Dick Grayson.

"Don't mind me lady," Roy shouted over his shoulder. "I'm just relieved to find out that when Dick flirts with Oracle, he is indeed flirting with a woman," Roy laughed. Oracle did not change her icon back. Roy shrugged and turned on the TV.

"Sorry about that," Dick said sheepishly.

_"What do you need?"_ the computerized voice asked.

"Could you locate Robin for me?"

_"Just a minute."_ A beat. _"He appears to be at home,"_ she answered.

"Damn," Dick swore.

_"Is something wrong?" _

"I just need to get a hold of him as soon as possible. Could you let me know if he moves?"

_"Sure."_

He closed the Oracle screen with a sigh. "All right then, ready to go to Gotham?" Dick asked.

"Where, pray tell, are you planning on going once we arrive in Gotham? The Batcave, the Oracle lair?" Roy asked.

"We'll have to go to the Batcave. I need to do some research on the Cray's," Dick said with a sigh. "It's pretty early for Bat activity yet anyway, we'll probably be able to go unnoticed for at least a little while…" Dick's voice dropped off as Roy began to laugh.

"Us go unnoticed by Bruce? Yeah right. He'll know we're there before we even arrive Dick.

"Now come on Roy, give me some credit. As long as you keep that loud mouth of yours shut, we can make it in past his security. You'll just have to watch and learn."

**

* * *

Gotham City **

Slade inspected his surroundings. While he usually preferred empty warehouses for lairs, he had to say, he was impressed by his new environment.

During the earthquake that nearly devastated Gotham, the reservoir had caved in on the piping below. Rather than take the time to repair all of the damage, new pipes were laid, and the destroyed area cut off.#

So, when Slade first began his planning, he sent some of the employees of his organization to check out any of the underground structure still remaining. His people cleaned and repaired what they could, installing surveillance cameras, and leaving Slade with an underground maze which suited his purposes quite nicely.

It would be impossible for anyone to guess the location from the surroundings, making it the perfect place to stage a little show for the superhero community, one they would not soon forget.

Smiling to himself, Slade fired up the control panel and began to prepare for the night's events. Everything he had worked toward would take place tonight, and, with any luck, the superhero community would lose a few members.

* * *

A/N: 

#I made all of this up. Except the earthquake. But really, I have no idea about the reservoir thing, just go with it.

I cut down on the chapter size since we're closing in on the end. I predict three of four chapters remaining, but you will all just have to wait and see.

So, let me know what you thought with a review, and thanks for reading!

-_Sarah Shima_


	14. The Huntress, The Bird, and the Prey PI

**A/N: She lives! She lives! I am really sorry about the long amount of time between updates! But, the closer to the end the harder it becomes sometimes... (/end horrible excuse). Anyway, I'm back, and badder than ever, with my newest installment. I hope you all enjoy it!

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**Disclaimer: Even if I did own DC, I would be too ashamed to tell anyone... readInfinite Crisis lately? Yeah...****

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If At First You Don't Succeed

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 14: The Huntress, the Bird, and the Prey

Part I

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**Batcave 5 p.m.**

"And _that_ is how you sneak into the Batcave!" Dick announced, limping into the lower cave with a flourish as Roy followed, Nightwing's gear slung over his shoulder, and his own supplies in his right hand.

"Wouldn't that entail me _not_ noticing you coming in?" Bruce asked, standing before the Crays on the upper level of the cave, scowling down on his adopted son.

"Aw, dammit! How did you manage that?" Nightwing demanded as Roy chuckled while cautiously standing directly behind him.

"Sensors picked up your entrance to the property," Bruce responded, turning back to his work.

"And you came all the way down here to greet me? Aw, thanks," Dick said.

Bruce did not answer Dick's jab. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you were still at S.T.A.R."

"Well thanks for the display of concern, but I'm _fully_ recovered," he began with a grin, knowing that Bruce was not dumb enough to buy that. "And I'm trying to get a hold of Tim, he's been pretty much incommunicado lately. Do you know what's been bothering him?"

"No."

"Somehow that was the answer I expected," Dick sighed.

"But I assumed you would," Bruce added after a beat.

"Me? How should I know?" Dick asked, still standing in the lower cave and shouting up to Bruce.

"Come up here and we can discuss it," Bruce said, turning and disappearing into the gloom of the cave.

"What was that all about?" Roy hissed from behind.

"I'm not sure. Let's go," he said.

* * *

When Bruce told Dick to 'come up' he truly meant it. And as Dick, assisted by Roy, climbed the stairs that led from the Batcave to the main house, he was beginning to wonder why he even listened. What could Bruce possibly know at this point? And why could Batman not just wait in the upper cave? Why the trip to the Manor? What was in the Manor that would make Bruce want him to go up there?

Oh damn it… Alfred. Bruce was too devious for his own good.

The moment Roy shoved Dick through the Grandfather Clock opening and into the Den, Dick came face to face with one of his worst nightmares; Alfred in full nurse-maid role. "Master Dick!" he exclaimed, looking him over quickly. "You are certainly in no condition to be gallivanting about! You should never have been allowed to leave S.T.A.R."

"Allowed? Come on Alf, I signed myself out," Dick sighed, knowing he had said exactly the wrong thing.

"Signed yourself out? My dear boy, how did I fail so dismally in imparting to you an understanding of the needs of recuperation, and the risks that accompany mortality?"

"Uh-oh, Robbie's in big trouble," Roy taunted as Alfred finished his rant.

"I'm a slow learner," Dick smiled. "Alfred, where'd Bruce go? He asked me to come up here to talk to him…"

"The Master is waiting for you in the living room, sir," Alfred said in an admonishing tone. Apparently something was bothering him about Bruce.

* * *

**Gotham City Reservoir**

Slade had a difficult time discerning if Nightwing's quick arrival in Gotham was a benefit or a hindrance. It meant he had to accelerate certain pieces of the plan, and could cause some bumps in the road. Although he was too far in this plan for even Nightwing to foul it up. Switching off the locator screen that connected to the computer chip Psimon had planted on Nightwing, Slade went over his plan in his mind again.

Bringing up the monitors, he activated a signal in the chip in Tim's head; at the same time he sent his soon-to-be-apprentice a message.

_Let the games begin_, he thought wryly.

* * *

**Wayne Manor**

"So what you're saying is; that Tim went on some rant about being lied to, and then fingered me as the liar?" Dick asked incredulously.

"Yes," Bruce affirmed – for the third time. Dick's repeated question was becoming bothersome. "I assumed you would know what Tim was talking about, but, given your reaction…"

Roy stood off to the side, watching the pair. Bruce sat in the stately armchair to the side, back straight and hands folded, while Dick was sprawled on the couch. Roy knew him well enough to know that Dick would be pacing right now if he were not injured. He also knew Dick well enough to know that Robin must have a screw loose if he thought Dick were keeping some big dark secret from him. Dick was the number one boy scout of the younger superhero world, bested in the entire group only perhaps by Superman.

"That's ridiculous! The last time I spoke to Tim was at Titan's Tower, and everything seemed fine. I set up something on his computer, I talked to Victor, and I—" Dick suddenly stopped, remembering the conversation he had with Tim, realization of the problem striking him finally.

_"The other day I was in the Control Room looking up old Titan's case files. I came across a fight against Slade, involving a chronoton detonator… And I got as far as it saying that you disappeared before I had to log off. So, what happened?"_

"Oh dammit, dammit, dammit!" Dick suddenly exclaimed.

"Master Dick!" Alfred chastised the foul language as he entered the room with a tray of tea.

"Sorry Alfred, but damn… I think I know what's going on now. And if it is… then I need to get a hold of Tim like yesterday."

"Why? What's going on?" Roy questioned, speaking for the first time since they entered the room.

"This has Slade's name written all over it, and something tells me we're already too late."

* * *

**Gotham City**

Receiving a summons from a man he should not trust or listen to, and complying anyway would be considered a major no-no in the Bat handbook, but Tim was past caring. The sometime superhero blended in easily with the afternoon crowds of Gotham as he sat on a city bus, ignoring the other passengers and staring out of the window. He would have preferred to take a R-cycle, but he did not want anything that Bruce gave him. And besides, the vehicle was too noticeable, and Slade did tell him to exercise just a little caution in not being recognized by passerby.

Perhaps if he were more experienced or more used to this sort of deception he could have seen it happen, but instead he fell for Slade's ploy and was none the wiser as he idly scratched at the back of his neck.

His rage felt tangible, as if he could touch it, feel it between his fingertips as it boiled and pulsed. It burned just beneath the skin, and spread throughout him like a disease. It was overwhelming, mammoth, poisonous, and… freedom. He had cut ties with the bat clan, tossing his Robin suit in the deepest hole he could find, giving up the obligations, the expectations, and the pressure.

He was in control now, or so he had been fooled to think.

And his future apparently would begin at the old Gotham Reservoir.

He stepped off of the bus with no apparent reaction to anyone or anything. His mind set on his goal he barely noticed the taxi that tempted to mow him down as he crossed the street. His reflexes instantly had him leaping out of the way and landing on his feet, but he did not consciously register the event as anything important.

A member of Slade's organization greeted him at the secret entrance, a simple copper and black shield pin identifying him. Wordlessly he led the ex-Robin through the underground maze, leading to the center where Slade awaited him.

* * *

**WayneManor**

Disconnecting his wrist-communicator's channel with Oracle, Dick swore under his breath again. "The locator in the Robin suit hasn't moved, but that doesn't mean much… I'll have to go over to the Drake place, I have to get to Tim," Dick explained.

"And how are you planning on explaining your sudden arrival and interest in Tim?" Bruce questioned, arms folded and Bat-glare in place.

"Tim's safety is more important than our secret IDs!" Dick exclaimed, jumping from the couch.

Bruce opened his mouth to argue, but his words were lost in his throat. Dick was holding a hand to his head, his eyes squeezed shut, and his face scrunched in pain. "Dick?" Bruce asked, taking a step towards him. He staggered backward, and then collapsed onto the floor, unconscious. Bruce and Roy ran to him, kneeling on either side of their friend.

"Dick! Dick, what's wrong!" Roy demanded, shaking him. Alfred forcefully pushed Roy out of the way, his fingers searching for Dick's pulse.

* * *

"Alright Bruce, c'mon, isn't there some junior superhero who could show up in street-clothes, someone who would look like a buddy from school or something? I mean, obviously Wonder Girl's out, but what about Superboy, or Impulse?"

"They do not know his secret identity," Bruce pointed out, shaking his head at Roy's idea.

"Okaaay…. waitaminute, how about that new bat chick? Can't you just send her some bat page and tell her to go visit the new boy wonder?" Roy demanded. It was bad enough that Dick was unconscious – again – and hooked up to a bunch of machines in the Batcave (though it was not really that surprising given how much Dick had pushed himself; it really was too soon for him to be up and about), but now Bruce still flat-out refused to do something, anything about this situation with Tim. It grated on Roy's nerves. Shouldn't Bruce be at least a bit worried about him? Then again, it was not as if Dick really thoroughly explained what was going on either.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Master Roy, Master Bruce. Miss Cassandra would certainly be willing to help," Alfred input.

Bruce studied the equally stubborn expressions on Alfred and Roy's faces. He turned what he knew over in his mind, and finally, after a very long moment, relented. "Fine, I'll call Cassandra."

* * *

**Drake Household: 7:00pm**

Cassandra Cain, also known as Batgirl, looked slightly uneasy as she approached the Drake home. With striking brown eyes and a distinctive Chinese flair to her features, the raven-haired vigilante was wearing jeans and a tee that hung snugly against her athletic and graceful body. Raised by David Cain, a renowned assassin, Cassandra was trained to become the ultimate weapon. After her first kill at a young age, she ran away, disgusted with her actions. She wandered for years before entering Gotham during the earthquake; soon becoming the messenger of Oracle, and then ultimately taking up the mantle of Batgirl.

However, David Cain's methods for creating the perfect assassin meant denying her spoken language, making body language the only thing she really understood. As such, she had been mute for years, only recently actually acquiring the ability to speak. So she was understandably nervous in an assignment that required vocalization. She would have been much more at home in staking out his house or forcing entry. But Batman had assured her that in this case the direct approach was the best.

She rapped lightly on the door, doing her best to not stand in a menacing position. Batman's friend Roy had told her to 'act natural' but she realized by that he meant for her to act like a 'normal' teenaged girl. Whatever that was…

The door was opened by a middle-aged woman who smiled congenially at Cassandra. Cass immediately recognized her from Batman's files as Dana Drake, Tim's step-mother. "Hello," Cassandra began uncomfortably. "Tim… here?" she asked, catching the inquisitive look on Dana's face at Cassandra's strange wording. Cassandra straightened the heavy backpack she had slung over her shoulder.

"Are you a friend from school?" Dana questioned.

Cassandra nodded, and then thought better of it and shook her head, followed by nodding again. "I… not… from here," she carefully worded.

"Oh? Are you from China?" Dana asked eagerly. "A foreign exchange student or something?"

Deciding she needed this conversation over soon, Cassandra nodded. "Tim… help me…" she added.

"How sweet. I'll go check to see if he's here. Why don't you come in?" she asked, stepping back to allow Cassandra entry.

Cassandra walked into the expansive living room, standing awkwardly next to one of the couches. Dana passed her, heading up the stairs to Tim's room. Cassandra took in every detail of the room, storing it in her mind in case she ever needed to remember it. At the same time she listened as Dana's footsteps echoed through the upstairs hall and then the squeak of a door opening. After a moment the door closed and Dana came back downstairs.

"I'm sorry, he must have gone out. I could leave him a message for you," Dana offered, speaking slowly and enunciating carefully.

"I… left book… Tim's room… I… go get it?" she requested, following both Batman's suggestion and her own instincts. Something was definitely up if Batman could not locate Robin, so it was only natural to check out the last places he had been.

"Of course. Do you know the way?"

"Yes," Cassandra answered quickly, rushing past Dana and to the staircase. She took the stairs two at a time, hopping to get there faster.

Remembering the pace and number of footsteps she had heard earlier, Batgirl easily followed Dana's route and soon found herself in front of a closed door. Opening it and being rewarded by an identical squeak to the earlier one, she knew she was in the right place.

Ignoring the messy surroundings, Batgirl went to work. Scanning the area, she began to search for any clue of where Tim had gone, and if he had left of his own volition. Searching through his drawers she came upon a box filled with money. She quickly snapped a photo and then went on. Moving on to his computer, Batgirl pulled the tower around and followed Batman's instructions to remove the hard drive. Stowing it in her backpack she checked the time. Dana would become suspicious if she were up there too long.

And sure enough, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Satisfied with what she had managed to gather, and hoping a clue lingered on the hard drive, Batgirl grabbed a literature textbook from the mess on the floor and headed for the door. "Honey, did you find it?" Dana called up.

"Yes, thank you," Cassandra said, flashing the book in Dana's face before leaping down the stairs and out the front door.

* * *

**Batcave: 8:30pm**

Within in the cave's gloom were Cassandra and Batman. The latter was examining Tim Drake's hard drive's contents. So far he had found nothing of interest. However it was well known that Tim had skill with computers, so if he did not want them to find something, it would take them quite a while to recover it. As she waited for Batman to delegate a task, the new Batgirl went through her warm-up drill.

They were both interrupted when an incoming message from Oracle appeared on the main screens. Rather more abrupt than usual, Oracle did not talk to them but only sent the location and description of a crime in progress.

Pushing aside his work, Batman motioned for Batgirl to come with him. She nodded, but cast a suspicious glance at the computer, wondering why her other mentor, Barbara Gordon/Oracle had not opened up a line to speak to them directly.

* * *

**Gotham City Reservoir – Underground**

Slade checked the clock; it was an hour shy of 10:00pm. And it was the time to implement step three of his plan.

He had already initiated step one; luring Robin in. The Boy Wonder was currently getting ready for his part in the night's events.

The second step had been sending signals to the Batcomputer on Oracle's line, thereby keeping Batman and Batgirl busy all night; too busy to be strategizing and searching for Robin with his squire. It was too risky to allow the two detectives to concentrate on the problem together, so Batman was out fighting for crime, while Nightwing was holed up in the cave with that idiot, Arsenal.

Step three would be a much more decisive strike. Something which was both essential to the inevitable success of his plan, and which would throw the heroes of Gotham into a frenzy. It would be just enough commotion to get Nightwing alone; and then… step four.

Smirking beneath the mask, Slade walked down the long corridors towards the back depths of the lair, a place highly restricted. He passed his guards, retrieving a few items from them, and then approached a small room, the door to which was closed. Unlocking the door, he opened it to reveal Huntress sitting in the back corner, cursing under her breath.

"Huntress!" he called. She immediately responded to her name. She stood to approach him. "Tonight you get your revenge on Oracle," he informed. She smiled gleefully. "I'm glad to see you're happy. Here, you'll need these," he added, tossing her a fresh costume and her weapons.

Her eyes were glassy from the drugs in her system, and the maddening smile on her face would be enough to have her admitted to a psychiatric ward. Satisfied, Slade left closing the door behind him.

"When she's ready, lead her out and send her to the Clocktower," Slade instructed his guards. They nodded in response.

Slade felt quite pleased, much as he always did when his plans took hold. He had worked carefully on every detail for months, and now everything was finally beginning.

There was no stopping it now.

* * *

**Batcave 9:45p.m.**

"Good night sweetie," Roy said; a phone held to his ear. "Yeah, I'll tell him. Uh-huh. Goodnight." Roy put the phone down, listening a moment to the rhythmic thumps coming from behind him before turning.

Dick had woken up twenty minutes ago, and since then had commenced to go through a set of acrobatics to 'keep in shape,' but Roy knew that Dick was really warming up. Something ominous seemed to be hanging over all of them.

Roy watched as Dick went through a series of flips and turns, wincing as the timing seemed off for each one, and Dick barely managed to grab the bar; hanging awkwardly over the cave floor. "You sure that's a good idea?" Roy called uneasily.

Dick shrugged the comment off and hoisted his body up over the bar again. He held himself suspended for a minute before swinging off and flipping to the next bar. "So, let's go over what we know," Dick said between breaths.

"1. Slade contacted Titan's Tower. 2. Robin gained access to some files that involved me and Slade. 3. Robin took off from San Francisco. 4. Robin was last seen with Batman, accusing me of being a liar. 5. Robin has not responded to any contacts since.

"I just feel like we're missing something. I mean, if Tim was really mad about that whole Slade thing, he would've just come to me, he wouldn't have run off. Slade's done something, set something into motion…"

"You're right about that. So what do we do in the meantime then?" Roy questioned as Dick missed a catch and fell quite ungracefully onto the mats.

Dick lay still, catching his breath. Roy walked over to make sure he was all right, but did nothing. "Well," Dick began, sitting up. Roy offered his hand, which Dick gratefully took as he stood. "…we just have to wait for the trap. There's always a trap with Slade."

"Grreeaatt. You know Robbie, I'm really starting to hate working with you. Can't you do some fantastic detective work and figure everything out **before** Slade makes his move?"

"Wait… wait a minute…" Dick said suddenly, rushing over to the Batcomputer. He began typing rapidly, and Roy stood behind him, trying to figure out where this was going.

"What've you got?" Roy questioned impatiently.

"Right around the same time that Slade started making his move, Huntress disappeared."

"Coincidence?" Roy asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. I have no idea what he would want with her, but when I was checking out the scene I came across some footprints that seemed familiar."

"Footprints that you remember since you were a teenager? Batboy, you drive me nuts with this stuff, you know that?"

"Bite me, Harper," Dick responded automatically as the files on Huntress' disappearance appeared on the screen. He opened up the image of the footprint. He stared at it for a moment and then nodded. "It's his. Slade took Huntress."

"But why would he do that?"

"That's what we have to figure out. Once we know the answer to that question then we'll have found our missing link."

A moment after the words passed from Dick's mouth, a series of alarms began to go off from the Batcomputer and throughout the cave.

"Dick! What's going on?" Roy demanded.

"That's Oracle's emergency signal!" Dick responded with fear.

* * *

**To be continued in Part II…****

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A/N::cue scary music: So, how did everyone like that chapter? Loved it? Send me a review then! Hated it? Send me a review then! Couldn't care less? Send me a review then!

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this installment and are anxiously awaiting the next.

And all you other fanfic writers out there, let me be a good example for you... UPDATE!

Later,

Sarah Shima


	15. The Huntress, the Bird, andthe Prey PtII

**A/N: Another day, another post. It's been a while since I did any acknowledgements, so here we go:

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**PhoenixClaw: Thanks a lot for the review, glad to see you still following this story! I had to shove Alfred in there somewhere, just for a few laughs for my readers at the very least. Yeah, Slade is a tricky devil, and as you'll see he only gets trickier! Hope you like this chapter as well!**

**gothlyssa: Thanks for the review! Enjoy!**

**dlsky: I cannot tell you anything because it will reveal too much! But very poignant questions. Once again thanks for the long review, I love receiving them. I hope you like this chapter.**

**Liobit: Yeah, character background info - just shows off what a DCU nerd I am! Really though, I'm glad you like that being there, I figured it would help out. I love how creepy this entire storyline really is when you get right down to it, creepy and brilliant. Thanks for the review!**

**Tressa: Haha for Alfred, gosh I love that guy. Anyway, thanks a lot for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying the story's pacing and dialogue. Thank you very much for your kind words!**

**Asilla: Thanks for the review, always a pleasure!**

**And now, on a separate note - ALEXNANDRU, WHERE ARE YOU! Seriously man, you've been one of my biggest supporters since I started this story nearly one year ago, and I haven't heard from you since chapter 12, and all my other readers know how very long that has been. What happened to you?

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**Okay, enough jabbering, let's get down to it, shall we? Please enjoy this highly anticipated chapter of "If At First You Don't Succeed."

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**Disclaimer: I only borrow the characters - without permission, but I don't get paid or nothing, so don't sue me! **

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If At First You Don't Succeed

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 15: The Huntress, the Bird, and the Prey

Part II

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**Gotham City Clocktower – 10:00p.m.**

Oracle wheeled up to her vast array of computer monitors and systems, waiting for any possible distress calls, or questions from superheroes too busy to look things up for themselves. Her help came in handy, the world was becoming more dangerous, and heroes had very little time to do research when a maniac was killing people. So she did it for them. Tonight however, the distress call would not be received on her computer, but sent from it.

Hands flying over the keyboard, and headset firmly attached to her ear, she did not hear the footsteps climbing the stairs to the top of the Clocktower. All of her security measures bypassed, someone walked slowly and silently towards her.

"Batman, I didn't send you there! I didn't hear anything about a robbery… I…" Barbara stopped speaking mid-sentence, her shoulder muscles tensing as she felt, rather than heard, someone drawing up behind her. The sound of a slight rustle of fabric proved that her feeling had been correct. Giving no outward indication that she noticed the intruder, she slowly turned her head and saw the shadowy outline of a woman standing against the far wall. Leaning forward, she pushed down on her emergency button, alerting the Bat Squad that she was in trouble.

Reaching into the pockets on her wheelchair, she wrapped her hands around her escrima sticks, waiting for the opportune moment.

* * *

Her breath came in steady increments, but her heart beat wildly in her chest. She was being careful; so careful. Gaining access to the Clocktower had been easy. She followed Slade's instructions and bypassed the security. Then came the hard part. Slade told her to be quiet, to not let Oracle know she was there until the right moment. So while she wanted to run up the steps and beat Oracle until her blood stained the four walls of her little hide-out she had to restrain herself and act with stealth. 

As she came up into the main level of the Clocktower, the top, where Oracle operated, and her alias, Barbara Gordon lived, she spotted her betrayer sitting at a large computer workstation. She seemed to be concentrating on something; she did not even notice Huntress standing in the dark corner of the room.

Her lips curled into a menacing snarl as she surveyed Oracle work. She was talking to Batman now… another person she would love the opportunity to destroy. But today it was all about Oracle.

A window had been opened, spilling cool night air into the stuffy room. Huntress' cape and hair blew ever so slightly with the wind. She absentmindedly reached up and pushed her dark locks out of her face.

She smiled as Oracle stiffened, she could feel excitement building within her. Oracle tried to act normal, but failed, and so Huntress knew that she saw her.

She grabbed her crossbow and an arrow off her back in one fluid motion.

It was time to fight.

* * *

**Alley 10:05pm**

"Batman to Oracle, Oracle, come in. Oracle!" Batman shouted into his com unit, worried about Barbara's sudden silence. He leaned against the brick wall of the alley as he spoke. Behind him Batgirl secured the wrists of several gang members they had happened upon. It had been a strange night. They continually received messages from the Oracle system sending them out to stop crimes that were not occurring. All night they had followed her directions and were met with nothing. It felt like a wild goose chase to Batman, and a moment earlier Oracle had said she did not send them the locations.

Obviously someone had been setting them up, keeping them busy, but why? For what purpose? He did not have a chance to ponder that thought as his com unit began to screech. Oracle had activated her emergency signal, she was under attack at the Clocktower.

Batman turned in the direction of the Batmobile, hurrying to the car and gesturing for Batgirl to follow him.

* * *

**Clocktower**

Oracle spun her chair as an arrow shot through the air. She watched in surprise as it completely passed her, embedding itself instead in the power box beside her workstation. Barbara tried to see her attacker, but whoever it was had disappeared, and then the lights died and her world was thrust into darkness.

* * *

**Batcave**

"I have to get over there!" Dick announced, scrambling from his seat towards his gear. His movements proved unsteady and he would have fallen if not for Roy's quick reaction.

"Dick, you can't help!" Roy chastised, pushing him back into the chair.

"It's Barbara, I have to!" Dick shouted. A moment later he realized what he had said. Roy did not know her secret identity.

"Oh…oh… so she really is your girlfriend. Tricky… very tricky…" Roy said. "But you still can't go over there. In this condition, you'd do more harm than good," Roy protested.

"I can't just…" Dick began, frustrated with his injuries and his inability to help Barbara when she was in trouble – why bother dating a vigilante if he's laid up whenever his girl needed him?

"Well… seeing as you've already spilled the beans, I'll go over and help. Whoever's in there, they won't be expecting me, right?" he suggested cheerfully.

Dick looked up at the face of his long-time friend. Roy smiled encouragingly. Dick knew he could count on Roy, even if he would rather do it himself. "Okay… hurry up, and keep me posted. Oh, and you're heading for the Gotham City Clocktower. And Roy, grab a grapnel launcher… I know you hate them, but you might need it." Dick added, his head hanging. Roy sensed the urgency and was already 'borrowing' one of Batman's bikes to ride out there.

"Okay, and my com's on," Roy called back, grabbing the technology off the worktable. "And don't worry, I'll save your girl!" he added as he turned the engine and shot off on the motorcycle.

"Be careful," Dick whispered. He watched the bike's lights disappear into the depths of the cave, and, swearing, slammed his fist against the computer console.

* * *

**Clocktower**

"Who's there! What do you want!" Barbara demanded; her escrima defensively in front of her, and spots obscuring her vision.

"Just a little payback, Oracle," Huntress whispered. Barbara spun in the direction of her voice, and then heard her laughing from the opposite direction. "You've spent too much time staring at computer screens and not enough time actually out there… you're slow and you're blind as a… bat.

"A bat, how apt, considering how you got into this gig in the first place," Huntress laughed again, low and maniacal, and it seemed to be coming from everywhere. If Oracle could spot where she was, then she could activate the other security measures hidden throughout the Clocktower, along with the tasers built into her wheelchair. All of that was useless if she could not see her. And her night-vision goggles were stored away.

Barbara thought her voice sounded familiar but for some reason was having difficulty placing it. But obviously this person knew she was once Batgirl, and knew she now held the title as Oracle. She usually felt confident about being capable of handling herself, but something about this made her uneasy, she hoped the Bats were on their way.

"Hoping for back-up, _Barb_?" the woman demanded. "Well Nightwing certainly isn't coming for you," she laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Barbara asked, the woman's voice had steadied, she was at her right side. Oracle began shifting her chair towards that direction.

"Well, let's just say he'll be very busy… very soon. Slade has big plans for him," she said.

"Slade?" Oracle asked, edging closer to her mysterious attacker.

"Too much talk," Huntress muttered. "I came here to kill you, not chat. I deactivated your voice-activated weaponry in the Tower, and now I guess I'll make the first physical move. Time to fry, Oracle."

Barbara heard the sound of a bow string pulling taut, and then the snap as an arrow released into the air from straight in front of her. She held her arms out defensively, unable to dodge in time. The shot flew straight and true, impacting Barbara's wheelchair in the electrical current that controlled the tasers. Knowing what was coming next, Barbara threw her weight sideways and toppled over in the chair. As she hit the ground, the electrical current built up and exploded.

Thrown forward, Barbara landed on her stomach. She forced her body to roll to the side, and saw flames building around the wheelchair. And again, cruel laughter emanated from her Clocktower. The woman drew near, and as she stepped before the fire, Barbara could see her silhouette.

"Hu…Huntress?" Barbara gasped.

"Took you long enough," Huntress said, crossing the distance between them. She climbed on top of Oracle, holding her arms to the floor with her knees. The legs she ignored – they were useless.

Black smoke built up in the room around them, and Oracle stared into the dull, emotion-less eyes of her attacker. "You hate me, admit it," Huntress said, leaning in uncomfortably close to Barbara. Barbara squirmed in her grip but could not free herself. "ADMIT IT! Batman didn't want me in his 'boy's club' and you only took me in to control me. That's the truth, isn't it! ISN'T IT!"

"No! No, Huntress, I don't hate you! You're a great vigilante, you're…" Barbara began, trying to understand what was driving her. Huntress had an awful temper, but this was so unlike her. And where had she been for the past months? What happened to her? Barbara looked at Huntress' glazed eyes with trepidation. "Huntress, Helena, you've been drugged, brainwashed! This isn't you!" Barbara explained.

"Isn't me? Brainwashed? Drugged? No. I am seeing perfectly clearly, and I can see that there is revenge to be handed out, Oracle. I was abducted in the night and what did you do? Did you try to find me? Did you even look? No! You forgot about me, you left me there! Some team coordinator, some leader! You don't deserve to serve in the Birds of Prey in any capacity!" The fire behind her only increased the intensity and anger in her words.

"Huntress, you're not making sense! Of course I looked for you—"

"Stop LYING!" she screeched, punching Barbara's face. Barbara's glasses snapped in half along the bridge and one lens cracked and shattered. She closed her eye against the shards. But Huntress only hit her again, and again. "This is REVENGE! This is what you deserve!" she screamed as she delivered painful blows to the parts of Barbara's body that still felt. And behind her the fire had reached the couch, igniting further and spreading.

"Helena!" Barbara cried in between screams of pain. "Stop! Stop!" Helena pried the escrima loose from Barbara's fingers and used them to hit her.

"I would have just fired some arrows and been done with it… but it's much more therapeutic this way!" she whispered into Barbara's ear.

She paused in the beating, stepping off of Barbara. She lifted the woman up so that they were standing and staring directly at one another. Barbara's head wobbled as she fought to keep it up, dark bruises forming on her face.

"Do…n't… do this…" Barbara choked, her eyes watery and unfocused. Huntress released her with one hand, reaching into her belt. She pulled out a small bottle of mace, and sprayed it deliberately into Barbara's eyes. She screamed in pain, and Huntress released her, smiling satisfactorily as her body crashed to the floor. Barbara focused on escaping her attacker, and began dragging her weakened body across the room.

A moment later a foot crashed down on her upper back, and dug in between her shoulder blades. Simultaneously, the fire spread to some of the hidden weaponry in her apartment, exploding with the small grenades and spitting flames at them. Huntress ducked, but now black smoke had permeated the Clocktower, making it impossible to breathe.

Remembering the open window, Huntress, grabbed her victim and ran to it.

Grasping Barbara by her neck, she pushed her through the window and held her hovering beyond the safe walls of the Clocktower. "You look scared, Barbara," Huntress chuckled. "But here I am, giving you some nice clean air to breathe. What's there to be afraid of, huh? Or is it the height… but you can't really see how far up you are, can you?" She loosened her grip.

"As fun as this has been, Babs, it's over! You're getting what you deserve! Goodbye!"

"Helena, NO!"

And Huntress released Oracle, Barbara's screams overpowering the sounds of the roaring fire as she descended to the city below.

* * *

**Moments Earlier:**

"Holy CRAP!" Roy exclaimed as he ditched the bike, leaping off as it crashed. His eyes trained to the Clocktower he watched as plumes of smoke escaped into the night air. He searched around the outside of the building for an entrance, and then caught sight of something quite frightening. A woman's body was being held out the window, hovering at least twelve-stories above the ground. "SHIT!"

He heard tires squealing behind him, and sighed with relief. "Batman, thank God," Roy said, turning as the large man and Batgirl rushed up to him.

"Harper," Batman grunted. Then he saw Barbara, and swore. Readying a grapnel launcher, he surveyed the distance. "I'll get Oracle. Arsenal and Batgirl gain access to the Clocktower and stop whoever's responsible for this."

"Okay," Arsenal said. Batgirl motioned for him to follow her and he reluctantly did so, reminding himself that Batman was more than capable of saving Oracle.

* * *

As Huntress released Barbara, Batman shot his grapnel at the stone tower. It caught and he shot into the air. Barbara screamed and her body fell at an awkward angle, her skull smashing into a window ledge followed by silence. 

Batman caught her in his strong arms, and then lowered the cord. Once his feet hit the pavement he quickly laid her down on her back, checking her body for injuries. Certain she had been knocked unconscious and had not died, he punched in the code to Dr. Leslie's phone for some medical back-up.

* * *

Batgirl stopped abruptly and then held out her grappling gun to fire a line at the tall window ledge on the edifice of the tower. Arsenal seemed to be making up his mind, looking up at the window and then at Batgirl and then at the ground. Batgirl shook her head impatiently and shot her line. Arsenal proffered a grapple from his belt and did the same. The pair of vigilantes let their lines retract and pull them up to the window. 

Once arriving, Arsenal kicked the glass until it shattered and then jumped into the apartment. Air filled with smoke, both heroes kept low, and followed the sounds of the raging fire to find Oracle's attacker.

* * *

Huntress cursed when she saw Batman catch Barbara; her plan had fallen through and the woman was most likely still alive. Not wishing to have a face-to-face confrontation with the Bat at this time, she made her way through the burning apartment towards a different window for escape. 

What she saw stopped her in her tracks. "Arsenal," she choked, her throat gritty with smoke and ash. They grabbed for their bows at the same time, cocking the arrows and pointing them at each other.

"Huntress!" Arsenal demanded. "Was it you, did you attack Oracle?" Her face was black with soot, her uniform dirty and tattered, and her breaths coming in slow and rasping gasps.

"Stand down, archer," Huntress ordered icily. "Get out of my way!"

That was when Roy realized she had either been brainwashed or drugged, she could have easily pretended to be in the Tower to help Oracle. That meant reasoning was not an option, he needed to take her down quickly and cleanly.

However it seemed his new partner had the jump on him on that account. Batgirl, who Huntress had not focused on at all, kicked her leg into the crossbow, knocking it from the wearied woman's fingers and sending it flying across the room. Arsenal fired his trick arrow releasing knock-out gas in Huntress' face as Batgirl swooped in for the attack. Arsenal forced himself to not check out Batgirl as she showed off her martial arts prowess and pushed Huntress onto the floor.

The inferno grew behind them, but Huntress would not go down that easily. The primal rage that fueled her fight with Oracle now turned to fear that pushed her to escape. Using Batgirl's momentum against her, she threw her into a wall. Staggering to her feet despite lightheadedness, she fought against the dark oblivion that beckoned her. Forgetting about Arsenal, she stumbled towards the window. Roy watched her, knowing it would be only moments before she passed out. She reached the opening and took in a deep gasp of cold air, fighting against a brutal cough. She closed her unfocused eyes and made the grappling shot blind. She prepared to jump out the window, and felt herself falling faster and faster into darkness.

Hooking his arm around her torso, Roy pulled her from the window's ledge back into the apartment. He met gaze with Batgirl (or at least thought he did – considering her mask completely covered her face it was difficult to know). "We need to put out the fire," he said, his eyes stinging from the smoke and ash.

She nodded, and went off into the dark room after the fire extinguisher. She knew the apartment well, and Barbara rarely moved anything. Sirens told her that the fire department had arrived, however they would not climb up that high to fight the fire, rather watch it burn and hope no one was trapped within. Finding the extinguisher, she made her way back across the apartment, and began spraying at the source of the flame. Luckily there was little that was flammable once the fire got past the furniture, rug and sheetrock, hitting the stone exterior.

_"Arsenal!"_ Batman barked through Arsenal's communicator, causing him to inadvertently leap in surprise.

"Yeah," Arsenal responded, checking on Batgirl's progress with the fire.

_"Have you secured the assailant?"_

"Yeah." He paused, staring down at Helena's unconscious body. "It was Huntress. I think she's been brainwashed. I'm going to have Batgirl bring her down, she needs medical help," he added.

_"Bring her to the Western side of the Clocktower."_

"All right." He stood and left Huntress' side to communicate the plan to Batgirl and relieve her of firefighting duties. Putting out the last of the fire, he turned to watch Batgirl swing Huntress over her shoulder and leap out a window with seemingly effortless ease.

Satisfied with the absence of fire, Roy tossed the extinguisher aside and surveyed the damage. The apartment lay in complete ruins. Roy just shook his head and made his own exit – by way of the stairs.

* * *

When he pushed aside the door to the Clocktower and walked nonchalantly out, he was suddenly assailed by the cacophony of reporters, policemen, and firemen. A middle-aged man pushed himself through the throngs and hurried over to Arsenal. He vaguely recognized him as a vigilante, and that was the only reason that his gun remained holstered. "Young man! Young man!" he called insistently. 

"Yeah?" Arsenal asked turning and leaning against the stone building. He looked relaxed, but his body was ready to react to any attack.

"Where is she? Where's my daughter?" the man demanded, his face red and his forehead lined with worry.

"Your daughter? Who?" Arsenal asked.

"Barbara Gordon!"

"Oh! Her, right, the girl who lives here…" Arsenal muttered. "She's fine – I think. Batman caught… er… rescued her. I'm sure he's off getting her medical attention. By the way, the fire's out, so you don't have to worry about that either," he added, pushing past Commissioner Gordon and hoping to find out where Batman and Batgirl had gone – he felt relatively sure that they were not waiting for him.

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Gordon asked, now that he had gotten a good look at the character standing in front of him.

"What?" Arsenal asked with mock shock. "I'm hurt! You don't know me? A famous Titan? Well, the name's Arsenal," he said. "And if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Gordon half expected Arsenal to mysteriously vanish like Batman or Nightwing or even Robin would have. Instead, he just brushed past the Commissioner and purposefully walked off.

* * *

**Wayne Free Clinic**

Both Barbara Gordon and Helena Bertinelli lay unconscious in a private room in the Wayne clinic. Arsenal followed Batman's instructions and entered through the back door, slipping in without attracting any unwanted attention.

Now he and Batgirl stood patiently in the back while Batman and Leslie spoke in whispered tones about their two patients. Roy folded his arms and heaved a loud sigh. When he filled Dick in on the events, he had to use several key threats to keep him in the 'cave, that and the fact that Slade had made his first move, and it was a tricky one. Nightwing needed to figure out the second before it happened.

"Any idea what made Huntress go postal?" Roy asked, tired of standing idly around doing nothing.

Batman grunted in distaste at Roy's tone and then turned to Arsenal, holding something in a pair of tweezers. "Some sort of computer chip, implanted under her skull," Batman explained, depositing it into a small plastic bag. "Take this back to the Cave and have Dick run some scans on it," he said, thrusting it into Roy's hands. "It'll give you something useful to do," he added under his breath.

* * *

"Hey Nightwing, looks like we found the missing piece in this whole Slade plan thing," Roy said as he left the clinic and headed for the bike. 

"Yeah?" Nightwing responded eagerly.

"Batman extricated a computer chip from underneath Huntress' skull. Probably has some sort of voodoo mind control or something. I'm on my way to the cave with it now, Bats wants you to run some tests on it."

"Okay, Arsenal. Hey, how's Oracle?"

"Bats says she'll be fine, but she's still unconscious," Roy responded, noticing how tired Dick's voice sounded. He really wished he had not insisted on overdoing it on his first day out of the hospital. "Well, I'll see you in a few," Roy added, switching off his com unit.

If he had known that could be the last time he ever spoke to Dick Grayson, he would have said much more, he would at least have said goodbye.

* * *

**Batcave 11:30pm**

Dick closed off the com connection to Roy, and rubbed his eyes with his thumbs. He was growing tired, and this web that Slade had cleverly spun only became more tangled. Why would he capture Huntress, implant her with a mind-control chip and send her after Oracle? And furthermore, how did Robin fit into this plan? However, the possibility of the chip made Dick nervous. If Slade had somehow implanted one on Tim… But what was the possibility of that? When would he have had the opportunity to do that? Huntress had been missing for months, there were many things that could have happened to her in that span of time to make her behave so strangely – brainwashing topping the list. What was the real possibility that the chip Batman found had mind-control powers anyway? It could have been a separate tracker or GPS or…

He pulled a hand through his dark hair, wishing he knew where Tim was, and fearing for his safety.

A moment later, a soft beeping indicated that he was receiving a page on the com unit in his uniform. Standing, he limped over to where he had discarded the suit and pulled the unit out of the gauntlet. The message had been sent on a special secure line from Robin. Dick sighed in relief until he read the text.

NIGHTWING:

MEET ME AT THE WAREHOUSE ON 10th STREET IMMEDIATELY.

COME ALONE. TELL NO ONE WHERE YOU ARE GOING.

-ROBIN

"Tim… what's going on?" Dick whispered. He knew better than to walk blindly into a trap, if this indeed was a trap, but what choice did he have? The need for secrecy did not seem preposterous – if Robin had some sort of problem he did not want Bruce involved in then he would obviously want Nightwing there alone. And besides, he somehow knew that Nightwing was in Gotham, something that would have been difficult to figure out unless he had spied on them in the cave – it was not as if Nightwing had made some sort of splashy appearance in Gotham. Despite the deep feeling of foreboding that rose in his chest, he needed to follow Robin's instructions and find out what was happening,

That did not mean he would be stupid about it either. Typing a few commands into the Batcomputer, he set it to display where he was going and why in one hour's time in case he did not return. That would be the only insurance he had.

Remembering that Roy was on his way, Dick hurriedly changed into his Nightwing gear, taking a few extra weapons from the cave as a precaution. Ready to leave, he hopped onto a spare bike, and turned off his trackers and deactivated the GPS on the vehicle. Then he gave one last look back at the cave before driving out into the night.

* * *

**A/N: We're revving up to the last two(?) chapters of this story, and I'm all jittery, so let me know how you feel about this. The last thing I want to do is make the ending suck and have you all be disappointed and give me unfavorable reviews and disappear and leave me alone and sad and... okay... anyway, please review, I would really appreciate it!**

**And for all you bored folks out there, check out my other in progress Titans stories: New chapter of "Oblivion" was put up a few days ago. "Dark Days" has been updated. And the AU sequel to "Doing the Right Thing" is up, it's called "The Freedom Squadron" and contains more angst than you can handle!**

**Anyway, have fun, thanks for reading, and please leave me some comments.**

**That is all,**

**Sarah Shima**


	16. try try again Pt 1

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, so without further interruption, please enjoy chapter 16!**

**Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapter.**

* * *

**If At First You Don't Succeed**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 16: …Try, Try Again

* * *

"Dick! Here's the… chip," Roy said, his voice deflating from a shout into a whisper as he stared around. He had left Dick at the computer console, and he returned to find that area devoid of anyone, with the chair pushed back. "Dick!" he called, his voice echoing off the cave walls. With a sense of rising panic he turned to where Dick had stashed his gear – it was gone.

Immediately activating his com unit, he set it to Nightwing's channel. "Nightwing, come in! Arsenal to Nightwing; Nightwing, respond! Dick! Come on man, where are you?!" He received no response except silence.

"Okay, Arsenal, don't freak out," he commanded himself. "Maybe he went upstairs or something." He knew it was an implausible explanation, after all Dick knew he was coming with the computer chip. Even so, he would check the Manor.

Alfred's timely appearance saved him the trouble.

"Alfred, where's Dick?" Roy demanded.

"I was under the impression he was here," Alfred responded.

Cursing, Roy turned his com unit to Batman's signal. "Hey… uh… Batman, is Nightwing there?" he asked tentatively.

The bark that answered over the line told Roy all he needed to know.

Allowing Alfred to take over at the console and check the GPS on all of the vehicles, along with Nightwing's personal locators, Roy stood awkwardly to the side, wracking his brain for any idea of where he could have gone.

"I'm afraid the young master has deactivated the locators," Alfred announced, and Roy knew that neither he nor Alfred were surprised in the least bit.

* * *

**Warehouse**

Dick arrived at the warehouse in record time, filled with anxiety. The surrounding area was all boarded up buildings, and not a soul could be seen anywhere nearby. He parked his bike, and climbed off, hoping this was not some sort of trap, but relatively certain that it would be. There was just no reason he could think of for Tim to want to meet him in a place so deserted; a place where there would be no witnesses to whatever was to happen.

He approached the door. A rusted chain hung from it, but the lock had been cut off, allowing Dick easy access. He pulled it open, listening for any sounds behind it and checking behind him repeatedly. He entered the cavernous darkened space quietly, pushing the door mostly closed behind him.

He heard movement in the far corner and immediately turned his attention there. However, he realized his mistake in that moment as a group of disguised fighters dropped from the ceiling around him.

He moved into a fighting stance as they attacked, a thorough, coordinated assault. The men themselves were not the best fighters Nightwing had ever encountered; they were wearing bulky military issue body armor and their movements lacked the fluid grace of a trained martial artist. But there were many of them, and they had gotten the drop on him. Nightwing did notice that none of their assaults seemed designed to defeat him, they seemed to be trying to tire him. He fought back against the crowd, fists and feet a blur of movement. But his timing was off, his hand-eye coordination not as perfect as it should have been. His muscles burned slightly, and Dick tried to shake it off, he knew he was not in top form, but he could easily dispense of these men.

He had just downed two when he felt something sharp hit his neck. His hand slowly went up to it, and the men around him paused, watching silently. His fingers had just touched the edge of a dart when Nightwing felt his body failing him, collapsing to the ground without his consent. And then everything went dark.

* * *

**Batcave**

"Batman… Nightwing's not here," Roy said wearily, speaking into his communicator.

"What do you mean? Where is he?!" Batman demanded in his darkest voice. Roy winced as he listened, wishing Alfred had made this call instead of him. But the butler was too busy… hell Roy didn't know what the man was doing to be honest, he was over on the computer.

"I don't know. I came back and he was gone. He took his 'Wing gear with him, and a motorcycle. And before you ask – yes he deactivated the locator.

"What could he possibly be up to?" Batman shouted, knowing full well that Roy would not be able to answer that question.

"Maybe he's following a lead."

"No, he would've left the locator on – he knows better than that. Alright Harper, I'm coming back to the Cave," Batman sighed.

* * *

**Wayne Memorial Clinic**

Batman closed the communicator, holding it tightly in his hand for a moment. It was difficult enough with Tim gone rogue, for Dick to disappear in the middle of the night for no reason was just baffling. But he knew his first protégé could sometimes be erringly impulsive, especially if he felt someone he cared about were threatened. But who could have made him run out in the middle of an important investigation?

He turned and looked at Barbara and Helena, who were both unconscious and sleeping in hospital beds. Someone had initiated a brilliant plan tonight. They had captured Helena months ago, drugged her and implanted that chip in her skull. It could have been the chip or she might have been brainwashed in to attacking Barbara. If he had arrived even one minute later, things could have ended so much differently. Barbara had been moments away from hitting the pavement and dying when he showed up.

And then there was Helena. Harper explained that she had seemed un-like herself, her eyes had been glassy and she had insisted on fighting them rather than come up with a handy excuse and escape. So filled with rage, she had not taken necessary precautions to protect herself. She had set the tower on fire, and still engaged Batgirl and Arsenal in the midst of the smoke and the flames.

As for the other problem, there was Tim, who had left the Titans and returned to Gotham. He had been acting odd, acting angry with Dick and refusing to talk to him. He was distancing himself from the Bat clan, and he had officially disappeared recently. He had been interrupted while going through Tim's computer, by a series of false 'crimes-in-progress' as if someone had specifically sent him out on a wild goose chase in order to keep him from something more important.

And now, Dick had taken off. There was only one logical explanation, Dick must have been in contact with Tim. That would certainly cause him to drop everything and go to him if Tim needed his help. Batman set his jaw in a determined line, ready to go back to the Cave and find some trace of Dick's whereabouts.

* * *

**Gotham City Reservoir 11:45pm**

The first thing Nightwing noticed upon waking up was dampness. He was lying on something cold and wet, concrete it felt like. He blinked, trying to make his sluggish eyes respond to his command. Wherever he was did not have good lighting, it looked like some kind of pipe and a few exposed bulbs hung from the ceiling. His head felt like it was fool of cotton and his mouth had an odd taste in it. He recognized the tell-tale signs of having been drugged. It happened too often for his liking anyway. He thought back to the warehouse, the ambush, the military men. All the variables pointed in one direction, and he would have gladly taken another dose of whatever it was that knocked him out to avoid having to reach that conclusion.

Slade.

Slade was behind this, he knew something had been off with Tim, he had just taken too long to figure it out. He would have thought that maybe Slade had captured Tim, but something made him think differently. He remembered hearing about Huntress' rage driven violence at Oracle's tower, and unfortunately, all of the pieces fit. _Slade's gotten to Tim._ He thought in anger. Even though they had tried to protect him, they had failed, and Slade had gotten to him somehow, had implanted a chip in him or drugged him, or something else to make him help Slade.

But why? What was it that Slade wanted so badly? He had no time to muse over that because a frighteningly familiar voice was suddenly echoing in the halls.

"Awake yet, Nightwing? It's almost time for the show."

Nightwing sat up slowly and saw what he expected. Slade was standing in the darkened hall, his lone eye leering down at Nightwing in a way that used to make him shiver involuntarily. Nightwing merely stared him down, recognizing that for the second time in his life, Slade held something he found precious in his hands, and Nightwing had no choice but to cooperate to find out what it would take to save Tim.

* * *

"What is this all about, Slade?" Nightwing asked as he followed a few paces behind the assassin. Slade had his hands clasped behind his back and was taking a slow pace, which Nightwing was thankful for. His body remained sluggish, still overcoming the drugs in his system, and he frequently found himself touching the wall to retain his balance.

He could not have been in a worse position right now. If Slade decided to attack him here, in this small space, with the drugs still in his system he would stand no chance.

"All in due time, Nightwing," Slade said without turning around.

"This is about Robin, isn't it?" Dick demanded.

"Isn't it always? I must say, I was surprised by the new Robin, he's much different from you. He doesn't have the same freedom of movement or grace that you possess. But I suppose it's a difference of background. This newer version is skilled however. I recognized some of his style from a certain martial artist – Lady Shiva, correct?"

"Why would you care?" Dick asked.

"Just trying to make conversation. I heard that you enjoy talking before your fights, Nightwing."

"And when is this fight going to take place? Are you leading me to your gym or something?"

"Who said you would be fighting me?"

"Slade – what the hell are you talking about," Dick asked, his mind reaching the same conclusion over and over but he kept blocking it out, not wanting to know, not wanting to believe it was possible.

"You did come here for young Robin, didn't you? I'm just going to deliver you to him," Slade responded. It was eerie the way he refused to look at Dick, but kept walking along in front of him, never turning his head, never letting their eyes meet.

"I know what you did to Huntress," Dick announced suddenly. At this Slade did pause, and Dick could imagine him smirking before he continued on his slow walk. "What I can't figure out is why."

"Every good plan requires a diversion, Nightwing," Slade sighed as if speaking to a small child. "And a test subject."

Nightwing finally stopped walking, knowing that Slade would notice and have to stop. "What do you want, Slade. Just tell me what it is, no more games."

"You bore easily these days. The game hasn't even begun yet. And you know what I want."

"An apprentice, yeah, I get that. But who – Robin or me?" he asked wearily.

Slade turned to face him. "Either will do. Follow me and I will explain everything to you and your younger counterpart," he said.

* * *

**Reservoir 12:00a.m.**

They had been walking through the hall (pipe) long enough for the drugs to work their way out of Dick's system when Slade stopped abruptly. Dick looked around him and saw a door blocking the end. Slade put a key in the lock and turned it, opening the door and then stepping aside.

"Nightwing," Tim's voice called from across an expanse. Dick stepped through the door and took a look around. They were in a large space, it was at least 20 feet tall. Seven feet from the ceiling he saw a second level with railings looking out over where they were. The entire place was composed of concrete block and gave an industrialized, cold feel. Some ten feet away from him he spotted a figure he could recognize anywhere.

Tim was there, but he was not Tim, and he was not Robin either. Clad in a black costume that bore no symbols, he stared at Nightwing through a mask with black outlines. "Robin, what's going on?" Dick asked, trying not to flinch when the door behind him shut and locked, trapping him in the room with Tim.

"It's just Tim now, I don't need any stupid codename, not anymore, and not here," he hissed at Dick, taking a couple steps closer to him. Dick, unsure of Tim's intentions, also moved forward – away from the wall so he could not be easily boxed in.

"Slade!" Dick called. "Explain, now!"

"What, are you afraid to face me, Dick?" Tim asked. The use of his real name brought Nightwing out the haze he was in and forced him to look; really look, at the teen in front of him. Tim was holding himself differently, tall and square. His jaw was set and his eyebrows were pinched towards his nose as if he were squinting.

"It's simple Nightwing," Slade's voice boomed from above them, and Dick wondered how he had managed to get up there so quickly. "Tim is determined to fight you, and he wants to kill you. So, if he wins, you'll be dead and he'll still be here with me. But if you decide to join me, and I mean really join me, not just wait for an opening to kill me, then I will let little Timmy here go home to his daddy and stepmommy. No harm done."

Tim did not seem to be fazed by listening to Slade talk about him in such a demeaning manner, and Dick wondered if he was even paying attention, if he even knew what was really going on around him. Or was he so trapped in his own rage; his own mind; that he had no sense of what was happening?

"Tim's not going to kill me," Dick scoffed.

"I suppose you've chosen then," Slade sighed, and honestly he did sound a little disappointed. Dick half expected his next words to be 'it was worth a shot.' Dick's looking at Slade, who's leaning on the railing watching him, and that's a mistake, and he should have known that, he did know that; because you never turn away from your real enemy. It's just, he couldn't wrap his head around who the enemy here was.

And just like that, without even giving Dick a chance to prepare, or beginning a bad-guy monologue, or asking if he's ready, Tim is on him. He's all feet and fists, and Dick can barely comprehend what's happening, can scarcely believe that Tim is attacking him, attacking _him_, the person he idolized for years, the person who helped him become Robin, who helped him understand Batman and become the hero he had always wanted to be. But even as his mind sluggishly tried to follow what was happening, his body responded, and he blocked and he countered, and he guessed what Tim was about to do before he did it. And now that his brain had caught up with his fists, he found himself thinking _I taught him that move_, or _I remember the first time he tried that flip_, and if anything it makes this harder.

But Tim's not stopping, he's not giving Dick a chance to ask him a question or to catch his breath, he's relentless, and Dick has never seem him like this; so singularly focused, so caught up in the moment. And then Dick realizes that Tim's whispering something over and over. "Liar, he's a liar," Tim whispers again and again.

"Tim you're wrong!" Dick cried, but Tim is not listening to him, and Dick wonders what he's supposed to do to stop this before Tim does something he'll regret.

* * *

...To be continued in part II!

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!**

_**Ada**_


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